About 2,000 Cook County workers went on strike at 6 a.m. Friday, a day after nurses at county-run hospitals held a one-day walkout of their own.
Service Employees International Union Local 73 said in a statement late Thursday night that workers would walk out after the union and county failed to reach an agreement on a new contract.
The strike slated to start this morning is open-ended, in contrast with the nurses' one-day stoppage. Picketing was delayed until later this morning because of thunderstorms.
SEIU is pushing for Cook County to agree to “meaningful wage increases, proposals that respect equal pay for equal work, and agree to affordable health insurance,” the union said earlier this week.
The striking workers include custodians, technicians and administrative staff employed by Cook County Health, the Cook County jail and other departments across county government.
On Thursday, Cook County provided a counterproposal to the union on non-economic issues "that ignored nine months of discussions," Dian Palmer, Local 73 president, said in the late-Thursday statement. "It's clear they are not taking these negotiations seriously."
The union is particularly pushing back against an increase in health care premiums. In a statement last week, Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle said "we have not asked employees for an increase in six years, even though our costs have increased. This is needed in this round of bargaining.”
Local 73 represents about 2,500 county workers, but the union said in its statement late Thursday night that about 476 workers would be kept from striking from a court-ordered injunction requested by Cook County Health.
On Thursday, hundreds of nurses held a one-day strike against Cook County Health over staffing issues, forcing the health system to postpone some surgeries and divert ambulances elsewhere.
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June 25, 2021 at 05:05PM
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2,000 Cook County workers set to go on strike - Crain's Chicago Business
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