City of Chicago employees demand a fair contract

Hundreds of City of Chicago employees took to the streets Tuesday, September 24, telling Mayor Rahm Emanuel they deserve a fair contract that respects their valuable work.

At seven worksites across the city, employees held informational pickets that brought attention to the Emanuel administration’s refusal to offer fair terms in contract negotiations.

The pickets earned strong coverage in the local news media. "Scores of union workers protested outside city buildings during lunch Tuesday," the Chicago Tribune reported, "taking aim at Mayor Rahm Emanuel for what they contend is an attempt to retroactively freeze their wages after privatizing hundreds of jobs in the past couple of years."

Even though city employees haven’t seen a raise in nearly two years – since January 2012, as part of the contract which expired last July – Emanuel’s negotiators have so far offered only a paltry pay increase that doesn’t keep up with inflation and includes no retroactive raise.

City employees are seeking a fair contract that corrects this injustice. "The city seems to be able to find money when they look for it," AFSCME Council 31 executive director Henry Bayer told WLS-AM. "They're building a new stadium for DePaul. I think that people who deliver health services for the city, people who work in the libraries, people who keep our water clean -- which is what our members do -- they deserve some attention as well."

City workers also want limits on Emanuel’s continuing efforts to privatize city jobs and services, which has taken good jobs away from Chicago residents while failing to save taxpayers money. "A new contract must also include 'common sense' rules meant to prevent bad privatization deals and protect public services and workers, according to the dozens of employees who protested near City Hall," said Progress Illinois.

"We have seen city primary care clinics given away to private operators for $1. Many of the mental health clinics were closed and patients referred to private operators. Hundreds of doctors, nurses, therapists and other health care workers in those clinics lost their jobs," Council 31's public affairs director Anders Lindall told the Chicago Sun-Times. "They were replaced by private employees with lower wages and few or no benefits. The same thing happened with the Water Department billing center. A Japanese corporation was given a contract and workers previously employed by the city lost their jobs. We need safeguards for when privatization is considered."

The informational pickets mark only the latest action by City of Chicago employees. On Sept. 12, AFSCME members turned their worksites green, wearing t-shirts and displaying signs highlighting the work they do. Nearly 2,000 AFSCME members have signed the union’s “Count Me In” cards pledging to be part of the contract fight. Now members are stepping up efforts to gain the contract they deserve.