Workers strike at Chicago's Loretto Hospital demanding better pay, more staffing
CHICAGO (CBS) -- On strike.
Healthcare workers at Loretto Hospital on Chicagi's West Side hit the picket line Monday. Workers are demanding better pay and more staffing.
CBS 2's Andrew Ramos reports from the hospital on the negotiations.
The update is that negotiations have gone nowhere and continue to be stalled. Both sides still do not see eye-to-eye on the demands being made.
About 200 of the workers have been picketing since 7:00 Monday morning. Many said they are asking for the bare minimum, including livable wages.
According to SEIU Healthcare Illinois, the union representing workers, Loretto is lagging behind other regional facilities on wages.
Union reps also said the hospital faces a significant staffing crisis, with vacancy rates ranging from 25% to 35% in various positions. Not to mention it has an annual staff turnover of 60%
The current climate of understaffing, they said, is overwhelming workers.
Another demand that workers are making is to make Juneteenth a permanent holiday.
In response to the strike, leadership at Loretto Hospital released a statement saying it has submitted many proposals to address the union's demands, but no counteroffer has been made.
The hospital also calls demands for first-year wage increases "impractical," adding "The strike will be about money, not patient safety."
Workers had something to say about that.
"Workers are making $2.00 two dollars less than their brothers and sisters over at Mount Sinai. So yes, we are putting a proposal on the table to pay us $19 an hour. We don't think that's ridiculous," said union representative Anne Igoe.
"We may take out your trash, but you are not going to treat us like trash," said Genie Kastrup, President of SEIU Local 1.
As this strike continues, Loretto Hospital said it has a contingency plan that will allow the hospital to continue operating and meet patient care requirements.
The union said it will hold out for a fair deal for as long as it takes.