Cook County Workers End 18-Day Strike With Tentative Agreement

CHICAGO — Public service workers have reached a temporary agreement with the county on a contract that will put an end to an 18-day strike across Cook County.

About 2,000 members of Service Employees International Union Local 73 participated in the strike, walking out of roles as technicians, nurses, food service and maintenance workers. It was the longest strike ever conducted by SEIU Local 73 and succeeded in bringing hazard pay and seniority into the conversation, with issues such as wage floors left to be discussed later, union officials said.

"Cook County workers showed real bravery by going out on strike to demand respect from the county," SEIU Local 73 President Dian Palmer said in a statement. "This contract has real wins for workers that they should be proud of as it turns the page on decades of Local 73 members being considered second-class citizens at the county."

Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle had not commented on the agreement as of Tuesday afternoon, but told reporters in an unrelated press conference before the strike that she was proud of the "good relationship" the board has with labor unions.

The union and county were able to reach an agreement on hazard pay, which will give front-line workers temporary bonuses for the rest of the COVID-19 pandemic. The contract will include a raise of 8.5 percent for workers over the next few months. Workers also succeeded in ensuring the four-year contract included seniority as a key factor in hiring and promotions.

SEIU Local 73 officials said the remaining issues will be discussed with a neutral party panel present.

The strike began on June 24, kicked off with a nurses strike of over one thousand Cook County Health employees from Stroger and Provident hospitals. Since many nurses had additional concerns, such as dwindling staff and increasing patient load, the remaining SEIU 73 employees joined them on June 25.

Over 2,000 union members went on strike, a lower number than those who originally wanted to due to a prior Illinois Labor Relations Board hearing that mandated about 500 workers, primarily health care employees, be required to work in case of a public emergency.

Preckwinkle was endorsed by SEIU Local 73 during the 2019 mayoral race and received nearly $2 million from them in campaign contributions, according to a report from the Chicago Tribune.