Two unions representing two teams of employees within the metropolis of Chicago, pressured to collectively negotiate their contracts, are within the midst of a rare spat, accusing one another and town of taking part in politics and never respecting the phrases of the ‘settlement.
City employees who’re members of SEIU Local 73 negotiate their contracts alongside metropolis employees who’re members of IBEW Local 21.
Local 73 says it represents greater than 800 employees together with site visitors management, parking and aviation safety employees, whereas Local 21 represents greater than 350 911 operators and dispatchers on the Office of Emergency Management and Communications and air communications officers primarily based at each Chicago airports.
The employees’ final contract expired in June 2022 they usually haven’t acquired any raises since then, SEIU representatives mentioned.
The metropolis collectively negotiated a brand new settlement with SEIU and IBEW, which SEIU delivered to a vote amongst its members for approval, the union mentioned.
The IBEW, nevertheless, remains to be attempting to resolve non-economic points within the contract for its members, together with extra compensatory time for emergency providers employees. In a doc submitted to the Illinois Labor Relations Board he accused town of dangerous religion bargaining, and the board issued a criticism ordering a listening to within the case.
IBEW Local 21 President Paul Wright believes town’s provide was unlawful and mentioned he can be negligent in his duties beneath the state labor relations regulation if he introduced the proposal to a vote.
Meanwhile, the SEIU, which mentioned it had negotiated raises of between 3% and 5% on high of a complete of $3,000 in pandemic bonuses per member, mentioned it was involved that such victories might be in jeopardy due to the issues Chicago’s funds and an imminent deadline to allocate American funds. Rescue Plan funds by the tip of the 12 months.
The union pointed the finger at each town and Wright, who SEIU Local 73 Vice President Jeffrey Howard described as “holding our members and their raises hostage” in a press release to the Tribune.
SEIU Local 73 desires to petition the Illinois Labor Relations Board to terminate its joint bargaining settlement with Local 21 and permit its members to ratify the contract, however to take action it wants each Local 21’s blessing that of town.
“We negotiate a contract with town, a contract that we really feel is honest and represents the work that we do, and when it comes time to pay for that contract — crickets,” Howard mentioned at a information convention Tuesday. “Our employees are drained. We need our cash.”
“I’m not concerned with losing one other second of time terminating him till this contract is finished,” Wright mentioned. Wright advised the Tribune he was open to terminating the deal till metropolis officers made clear they might not contemplate agreeing to take action till the contract was accomplished.
“I’m disgusted by the continued antics of town and the SEIU,” he mentioned.
Wright mentioned day off points had been significantly essential as a result of severe psychological well being issues amongst emergency service employees.
Wright mentioned he understands SEIU’s issues about bailout funds.
“However, if town had negotiated in good religion, this factor would have been performed two years in the past,” he mentioned.
City attorneys have denied allegations of dangerous religion in bargaining filed in August with the Illinois Labor Office. Kristen Cabanban, a spokeswoman for town’s regulation division, declined to offer additional remark citing pending litigation. A spokesperson for the mayor’s workplace didn’t reply to requests for remark.
SEIU is certainly one of Mayor Brandon Johnson’s main labor allies. Locals supported him within the run-up to the 2022 mayoral election, and Johnson acquired roughly $4.4 million in marketing campaign donations from SEIU associates throughout his marketing campaign.
At a information convention Tuesday, SEIU Local 73 member Karen Lindberg, a parking enforcement officer, alluded to that help.
“We and our households will keep in mind this on the polls within the subsequent election,” Lindberg mentioned. “Our households know what we’re going by.”
This is not the primary time town has clashed with SEIU Local 73. Last summer time, the native filed a union petition to signify election employees on town’s Board of Election Commissioners. But legal professionals for the board opposed the union’s effort, arguing in a authorized submitting that becoming a member of the union would represent “political exercise” by which election employees can’t participate.
“We supported Mayor Johnson as a result of he mirrored the values of SEIU Local 73,” Howard mentioned when requested in regards to the union’s help for the mayor Tuesday.
“I nonetheless assume it displays these values. And I feel they’re coping with very advanced and complex points, however finally the duty lies with him, and so he has to determine how you can get all of it performed.
Jake Sheridan of the Chicago Tribune contributed.
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