Keeping track of Chicago's labor union wars
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Chicago workers from the Teamsters walked the picket line Tuesday at an Amazon warehouse in Bridgeport to protest working conditions and pay levels.
The big picture: Labor strife is heating up across Chicago — and the country — as more employees organize to demand better workplaces.
Flashback: Chicago has seen its fair share of walkouts in the last year, culminating in the latest SAG-AFTRA and UAW strikes.
- Now that those are settled, let's look at where some others stand:
Columbia College
Adjunct faculty have been striking for over three weeks, and there seems to be no end in sight. The union says the current walk out could be the longest adjunct strike in history.
- Faculty members are protesting budget cuts and class sizes.
- They're also calling for the resignation of college president Kwang-Wu Kim, questioning his handling of the school's budget deficit.
- College provost Marcella David wrote in a recent letter to students that the school will have to keep open the possibility of "replacing faculty who are not teaching."
The intrigue: This is a particularly sticky situation for the college, considering that adjunct faculty include skilled working professionals that the South Loop school touts to recruit students.
Joliet nurses
Nurses at a Joliet hospital made waves this summer when they walked off the job to protest working conditions and burnout. Today, nurses at Ascension Saint Joseph Hospital in Joliet are striking again — this time to push back on what they say are "unfair labor practices."
- It's the second time since their contract expired in July that the nurses have walked out.
- The hospital says the strike is "unfortunate" given that negotiations are ongoing.
Howard Brown Health
Last week, workers at Howard Brown Health Center walked off the job for the second time this year. The two-day strike was called to protest working conditions, including recent moves by the center to shorten patients' wait times.
- The health center says it has offered a fair contract, including an increase in wages for all workers.
Zoom out: Howard Brown is the largest LGBTQ+ health care clinic system in the Midwest with offices across Chicago.
The Second City
The comedy training center and its instructors have been without a contract for over 700 days, dating to when the union was formed in 2021. The Second City says a deal has been offered in the negotiations, which are continuing.
Of note: The renowned Chicago company is about to open a state-of-the-art theater in Brooklyn, New York.
Editor's note: This story has been corrected to remove a reference to negotiations having started this month and to reflect that The Second City says it has offered a deal.