A strike by hundreds of Loretto Hospital workers could happen come Monday.
This decision comes after Loretto management left the negotiation table, sparking intense calls for the hospital to reevaluate its priorities.
Taking their stand for safe staffing and better wages, frontline service, care and technical workers congregated with faith leaders and State Representative Lakesia Collins in a spirited rally across the street from the Loretto Emergency Room.
During the event, SEIU Healthcare Illinois leaders and bargaining committee members provided updates on the ongoing negotiations as the strike deadline on Monday looms closer.
“We are poised to strike on Monday despite our best attempts to negotiate and get through to Loretto management. They walked away from the bargaining table yesterday. Loretto has trouble getting their math together and their priorities right,” said Erica Bland-Durosinmi, Executive Vice President of SEIU Healthcare Illinois.
However, Loretto has reportedly offered pay raises and more personal days, but hospital officials argue the union’s demands are unsustainable.
Workers’ bargaining demands include:
- Higher wages – Loretto currently pays workers less than living wages and a lower hourly rate than other hospitals in the area. Low wages are the reason that Loretto has an ongoing short-staffing crisis. Higher wages aren’t just nice–they are the only lasting solution to ensure safe staffing levels.
- Staffing incentives – To help address staffing levels when short, create a bonus structure to incentivize workers to pick up extra shifts.
- Juneteenth – These workers are predominantly Black, and their communities celebrate Juneteenth. Like Cook County, the State of Illinois and the federal government count Juneteenth as a permanent holiday, as should Loretto.
If the two sides don’t reach a deal, almost 200 hospital staff, including emergency technicians, mental health workers, transporters, radiology technicians and housekeeping staff members, plan to strike.