Cook County workers in Chicago have reached a tentative agreement with the county, ending an 18-day strike that began in June, union officials said.
SEIU Local 73 represents thousands of workers in Cook County, including workers at Cook County Health's Stroger and Provident hospitals and those in offices under Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle, in the county clerk's office and in the sheriff's office. Union members at Cook County Health include housekeeping and food service workers, medical technologists, respiratory therapists, ward clerks, mental health workers, physician assistants, medical assistants and care coordination staff.
Union members struck for 18 days, beginning June 25, and reached a tentative agreement with the county July 13, after more than 10 months of negotiations.
The union said the agreement addresses most issues, except for raising the wage floor for lowest-paid workers and changing anniversary pay raise steps to reward longevity, which will be resolved in arbitration.The deal includes across-the-board raises, bonuses and pay equity in multiple areas of the county, as well as hazard pay for pandemic work, the union said. It also prioritizes seniority in hiring and promotions, according to the union.
"Cook County workers showed real bravery by going out on strike to demand respect from the county," Dian Palmer, SEIU Local 73 president, said in a news release. "This contract has real wins for workers that they should be proud of as it turns the page on decades of Local 73 members being considered second-class citizens at the county."
Ms. Preckwinkle told WBEZ in a radio interview that she was disappointed because Cook County offered essentially the same agreement two weeks ago, and workers could have gone back to their job earlier if the union accepted the offer when it came up initially, according to the Chicago Tribune.
"One of the things that's happened, of course, is that my relationships with SEIU have been damaged, but my primary responsibility is not, frankly, my relationship with SEIU," she said, according to the newspaper. "It's to the residents and taxpayers in Cook County, to be a good steward of county government, and that’s what I've tried to do."
With interest arbitration looming, a contract ratification vote by SEIU Local 73 members has not been scheduled, according to the union.
Nurses at Cook County Health also went on strike in June, but that one-day strike ended June 25, and nurses approved a new contract July 2. The nurses are represented by the National Nurses Organizing Committee, an affiliate of National Nurses United.