Los gritos y la música surgió fuera del edificio Illini Union en el plantel de la Universidad de Illinois-Chicago el 15 de Mayo, como 100 trabajadores, estudiantes y apoyadores piquetearon a la reunión de la Junta de Síndicos de la Universidad.

Su blanco era los salarios altos que se pagan a los administradores y a unos cuantos profesores. Estas “estrellas” tuvieron que aguantar una serenada por parte del local 73 de Service Employees International Union, inclusive Willie English y delegada principal Judy Jones, a la musica de Elvis Presley, “No eres mas que un perrito”

No eres mas que rico

ladrando constantamente

jamas congelaste tu salario

y no eres ningun amigo mío

Recortes de trabajos y salarios congelados

La coalición está enojada pues el estado tiene una crisis presupuestuaria, y los políticos ademas de los administradores de la universidad pretenden obligar a la clase trabajadora a que pague la diferencia. Según delegada Shirley McIntosh del local 73, quien llegó aompañada por 18 empleados del departamento de cuentas de la universidad, “Hemos estado trabajando mas duro que nunca en los últimos años como se han ido haciendo mas apretados los presupuestos. No es justo que tengamos que aceptar perder nuestros trabajos o una reducción de salario”.

Pero precisamente eso es lo que se está impoiniento a los empleados, los profesores y los estudiantes postgraduados que trabajan en la Universidad. El presidente de la Universidad, Stukel, ha declarado que se van a eliminar a 600 trabajos en 3 planteles de la Universidad. En el Centro Médico en Chicago, ya empezaron a cortar posiciones. “Somos 18 oficiales de admsiones, y van a reducirnos a 6. Será difícil para los que permanecen” dijo Naomi Colon, cuyo puesto fue eliminado en la Clínica Dental.

Se cortaron 18 posiciones mas en el departamento de Siquiatría. En Abril, se elimaron los puestos de 20 profesores de tiempo parcial en el Departamento de Inglés. Extraoficialmente se rumoriza que no habrá ningún aumento salarial en 2 años.

Finalmente, en la reunión de la Junta de Síndicos, se aprobó un aumento de colegiatura de 10%.

¿Porque esta falta de dinero?

Si usted le pregunta al gobernador Ryan, le dirá que es por razón del once de septiembre. En los periódicos dicen que hay menos dinero recibido en impuestos por la situación de la economía.

Nadie está diciendo la mera verdad, que es que en Illinois y en los Estados Unidos, los ricos y las corporaciones casi no pagan impuestos.

El estado tiene gastos, tales como proveer fondos para cuidado de salud para los pobres, educar a nuestros hijos, y pagar los salarios de los empleados de las agencias estatales. Ya que tenemos menos entradas de impuestos, la única manera para compensar la diferencia es que los ricos deben pagar mas.

Ganar y Perder en la Lucha Presupuestuaria

Hubo un mitífn de 5,000 trabajadores en la capital, Springfield, el 24 de Abril. Les dijeron a los politicos que no deben balancear el presupuesto a las espaldas de los trabajadores. Pidieron que se impuesieran mas impuestos a los ricos, como de la herencia por ejemplo.

Dijo Greg Hardison, un delegado sindical que trabaja en la Universidad de Illinois, antes del evento en Springfield “¡Que paguen los ricos!” A gran aplauso, dijo lo mismo Christine Boardman, presidente de SEIU 73.

La lucha por parte de los sindicatos y fuerzas comunitarias fue exitosa hasta cierto punto. Los legisladores y el gobernador tuvieron que restaurar algunos de los recortes que se hicieron este año, y los ricos tuvieron que pagar $200 millones mas. Pero La gruesa de la deficiencia de $1 millon de dolares, lo pagaremos los trabajadores.

Lucha para Justicia e Igualdad

Ya se están formando las lineas de batalla en la Universidad de Illinois. En el mitin del 15 de Mayo, Rodney Teleoman, co-presidente del INI, dijo “ya hemos informado a los directores de los hospitales: Si esperen que vamos a aceptar una congelación de salarios cuando vamos a negociar, vamos a tomar un voto de huelga”. Los contratos de las enfermeras y secretarias se vencen en Agosto.

Los miembros de 73 tienen un mensaje para los patrones tambien: “Cuando se cortan los trabajadores, los trabajadores tienen que hacer mas trabajo, y ademas, los pacientes sufren” dijo Tom Terranova, representante de personal del 73. “Por eso es que el único lugar donde se debe cortar el presupuesto de la universidad es en los salarios de los administradores de rango”.

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Chicago, IL – Music and chanting rose outside the Illini Union building on the campus of the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC), May 15, as 100 workers, students, and supporters marched on the Board of Trustees meeting.

The target was the high salaries paid to administrators and a handful of faculty. These rich “rock stars” were serenaded by the members of Local 73 Service Employees International Union, including Willie English and chief steward Judy Jones, to the tune of Elvis Presley's “Hound Dog”:

You ain't nothing but a rich man

Crying all the time

You ain't nothing but a rich man

Crying all the time

You ain't never froze your wages

You ain't no friend of mine!

Job Cuts and Wage Freezes

The coalition of groups is angry because the state has a budget crisis, and the politicians, along with University administrators, are aiming to shift the crisis onto the backs of working people. According to Shirley McIntosh, Local 73 steward, who came along with 18 coworkers from the Patient Accounts department, “We have been working harder than ever in recent years as budgets have gotten tighter. It's not right for us to face losing our jobs and having our wages frozen.”

But that's exactly what is coming down on workers, faculty and graduate employees. University of Illinois President James Stukel has stated that 600 jobs will be cut from the three campuses. At the UIC Medical Center, job cuts have already started. “We're 18 admitting officers, and they're only going to have 6. It'll be tough for those left,” said Naomi Colon, whose position was eliminated in the Dental Clinics.

Eighteen more positions were reported cut in Psychiatry. In April, nearly 20 adjunct professors in the English Department lost their jobs as well. The unofficial word on wages is that workers should expect no raises for 2 years.

Finally, at the Board of Trustees meeting, a 10% tuition increase was passed.

Why is Money So Tight?

If you ask Governor Ryan, he'll say it's because of Sept. 11. If you look at the business pages, you'll read that there is less taxes being collected because there is a slowdown in the economy overall.

No one is telling the real truth: in the state of Illinois, even more than most states in the U.S., rich people and corporations pay almost no taxes.

The state has expenses – such as helping fund health care for the poor, educating our children, and paying the wages of the workers in state agencies. There is only one way to make up the difference now that less taxes are being collected. Those who have been raking it in over these years should have to cough it up.

Wins and Losses in the Budget Fight

5000 workers rallied at the state capitol on April 24. They told the politicians not to balance the budget by attacks on workers. They called for more taxes on the rich, like the tax on the estates that multi-millionaires leave to their children when they die.

Greg Hardison, a UIC union steward, said it best at the Local meeting before the Springfield rally – “Make the rich pay!” Local 73 President Christine Boardman, at the rally, echoed this message, and the crowd roared back its approval.

The fight by unions and community forces was partially successful. The legislators and the governor had to restore some of the cuts proposed earlier this year, and the rich took a $200 million hit. But the bulk of the billion-dollar budget shortfall will be at the expense of working people and the poor.

Struggle for Fairness and Equality

The battle lines are being drawn at UIC. At the May 15 rally, Rodney Telomen, Illinois Nurses Association co-chair said, “We've already informed the hospital directors: if they tell nurses to expect a wage freeze when we go to bargain, I predict we'll take a strike vote.” Both nurses and clericals have contracts that expire in August.

Local 73 members have a message for the bosses as well. “When jobs are cut, workers have more work to do. Plus, patients suffer,” said Tom Terranova, Local 73 staff representative. “That's why we said the only place to cut in UIC's budget is the top administrators' salaries.”

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The next day, Carole Miserendino, Chief Nursing Officer and a key member of management's negotiations committee was called into the new hospital director's office and given a week to pack her bags and hit the road. Next to go was the head of the Human Resources, Carole Koch, another member of management's team who announced she would leave by the end of June.

The final head to roll was the sweetest for the Union's negotiation committee. Terry Wheat, the most hated, anti-union member of management's team resigned after being passed over for promotion. She was told that workers at UIC Hospital and Clinics would not tolerate her anti-union management style. “We have worked 3 years to rid ourselves of the hateful, dishonest tactics of Terry Wheat,” said, Rodney Telomen, member of the INA's negotiations committee. Not only did the INA have a contract victory, with Wheat's announcement, the entire management negotiations committee, who the INA had to look at across the table for nine long months of bargaining, would be seen no more. Good riddance!

Since August of 1999, 800 registered nurses, members of the Illinois Nurses Association, had been fighting for a fair contract, against privatization, and for respect. The Nurses Committee had vowed to outlast management, and they did. With firm support from their sisters and brothers in SEIU Local 73, the nurses held rallies, pickets, signed petitions and whatever else was necessary to convince management to settle for a fair contract, including beginning strike preparations.

Their hard work paid off. The nurses ratified a three year contract in late May. The contract calls for substantial increases in pay – 9.5% over three years, a $1000 cash bonus for long-term nurses, and increases in payments for working evenings and nights. The contract also restricts mandatory overtime, allows nurses to work flexible hours, and contains some protection in the event of privatization.

In the course of the contract fight, top management at the University grew tired of the fight and brought in a new Director of the Hospital, John DeNardo, who has a reputation of working with Unions. While DeNardo has taken some good steps, including sacking his negotiation's team, he has only done so because the Hospital workers have stood up and demanded respect and dignity.

Hospital workers will have to keep up the fight. One tactic of management is, if you can't beat them, join them. When they are confronted with a group of militant workers, management suddenly tries to buddy up to the Union and suck us into a partnership. This is not because they care about what workers think, it's an attempt to lull us to sleep.

Top management at the UIC Hospital and Clinics still has the same agenda, gutting patient care and privatization. UIC workers will be keeping their eyes wide open, waiting for management's next move.

This summer, service workers, including housekeepers, transporters, and food service workers, represented by the Service Employees International Union Local 73, will begin negotiations against the University of Illinois at Chicago.

“Since this fight has always been about justice for our patients, the people of the State of Illinois, and UIC's employees, the INA will support SEIU in its negotiations,” Telomen stated.

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Chicago, IL – On April 3, nearly 400 workers and nurses rallied and attended a public hearing against the privatization schemes of the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC). They are opposed to a secret administration plan to merge the UIC hospital with the private hospital called Rush-Presbyterian-St. Luke's Medical Center.

A fight has been going on here for over a year. Nurses and workers from all departments – housekeeping, food service, transport, medical records, parking, and animal laboratories – are standing together against a common enemy.

That enemy is a gang of top bosses who aim to take this state medical center and make it private. The hospital administration sees that their masters in the Health Maintenance Organizations (HMO's) and insurance companies are making billions in profit. And they want in on the loot!

Defend Seniority Rights!

April 3 also saw investigative hearings held on the UIC campus with state legislators. The elected representatives from Chicago – Black, Latino, and white – included State Senator Miguel del Valle (a long time supporter of the workers' fight here), a representative of Congressman Danny Davis, and other members of the Legislative Black Caucus.

Following the hearing, the workers marched on the UIC Hospital, where they responded to the threat to eliminate guaranteed seniority rights. Eventually, the picket line swelled to nearly 200 people as work shifts ended and employees came from the hospital and clinics. A giant 25 foot rat was inflated in front of the hospital as workers chanted, “U – I! You rat! Privatize us? We'll see about that!”

The stage for this new round of struggle was set when UIC Medical Center announced they were separating the hospital from the rest of the campus. This means that the workers and nurses would lose their seniority rights. 600 union workers in the hospital are part of Local 73 of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU). As part of UIC's entire campus in Chicago, they are members of a bargaining unit of over 1800 workers. In the event of job cuts, long-term employees should have job security. But as a “separate place of employment,” they would face unemployment.

SEIU filed a lawsuit in the name of chief steward Judy Jones, who has 30 years of seniority in the hospital. Nearly 200 workers turned out for a meeting Feb. 24 to defend their seniority rights.

Speaking for housekeepers, chief steward Louis Diaz said, “For a custodian, the most precious thing is seniority rights.” Housekeepers have been under fire for over a year. Management has repeatedly tried to undermine their seniority. “You start on nights and weekends, but with time, you get some control over your life. It's immoral for management to ask us to give that up.”

SEIU and the Illinois Nurses Association (INA) have filed complaints with the Labor Board against the bosses' plan for a “separate place of employment.” The Labor Board upheld the complaint, handing an important legal victory to the nurses and workers. Seyfarth, Fairwether and Shaw, UIC's notorious union busting law firm, suffered a defeat.

Despite Record Number of Patients, Crisis Still Looms

In the past 10 years, the number of outpatient visits at the UIC Medical Center has doubled. This year there will be nearly 400,000 visits. The number of inpatient visits has also grown. But a number of pressures are combining to make this a crisis atmosphere.

First, the HMOs are taking over more of the healthcare industry, making vast amounts of money. Their shareholders expect 20% rates of return on their investments. In addition, the HMOs are making healthcare workers pay for those profits.

Second, the government is cutting back their support for healthcare for poor people. The Balanced Budget Act that President Clinton signed in 1997 cut Medicaid in '98, and there will be another cut this fall.

Third, the bosses in public hospitals want some of the loot hauled in by the HMOs. At UIC, the top bosses saw their salaries soar in recent years. Chip Rice, the vice-chancellor of Health Services, got an $80,000 a raise this year, from $250,000 to $330,000.

Workers' Backs To The Wall

At UIC, employees are working harder than ever, but still, layoffs are threatened. Over 500 jobs were eliminated from the hospital in the last 4 years. The bosses hired a vicious management company, called the Hunter Group, to force the job cuts. In October, David Coats of the Hunter Group set out plans to cut 100 more jobs. Protests by the SEIU and INA forced the University to send the Hunter Group packing before their contract expired.

But the threat of job cuts still hangs over our heads. The bosses at UIC are reeling from the fight back that has gone on. However, the crisis compels them to attack us again and again. UIC bosses have a plan to get themselves out of the crisis. This involves a merger with the wealthy, private hospital, Rush-Presbyterian-St. Luke's Medical Center.

Rodney Telomen, a nurse and a member of the INA negotiating committee, explained what is behind the merger talks. Rush-Presbyterian-St. Luke's is also hurting from managed care. Telomen said, “Rush is looking for a way out of their $40 million debt. They think that taking over UIC's profitable sections and closing the others will help save them.”

The greedy top management at UIC and Rush made a pact that guarantees that workers will face more attacks.

“Separate place of employment” beaten back

On April 3rd, management made a major concession when faced with the firm opposition of SEIU Local 73, the INA, and their supporters. John DeNardo, CEO of the hospital, sent an e-mail message to all Hospital employees. The memo stated that he is suspending implementation of the “separate place of employment” proposal that had been threatened. The memo said he would not put it into effect until negotiations are held with the unions.

Sirlena Perry, Local 73 assistant chief steward, said, “Workers need to take this victory and fight on, to stop the department by department privatizations that are occurring, and to ensure that UIC Hospital and Clinics remain public.”

A Future of Struggle

In the past period, workers around the U.S. have suffered many setbacks to their wages, rights and working conditions. At UIC, workers have stood up and fought. As Randy Evans, a housekeeper and union steward said, “I'm a warrior. My mother, a founder of the INA at UIC, taught me to fight. We can't stand by and let them implement their master plan.”

Workers at UIC are prepared to do whatever it takes to defend themselves and to keep the medical center public.

#ChicagoIL #News #SEIU #privatization #UniversityOfChicagoHospital #IllinoisNursesAssociationINA

The Illinois Nurses Association (INA) and workers in Local 73 Service Employees International Union have declared they will fight this to the end. A picket and rally were held October 6 at UIC Hospital, with 100 workers and nurses. October 14, 20 workers and 20 nurses traveled to the Board of Trustees meeting in Urbana to protest.

In recent negotiations, the INA was told that management intends to separate the Hospital from the rest of the campus. This will mean if you are cut from UIC Hospital, you can't bump into other job positions elsewhere at the University of Illinois Chicago. This also fits into the plan of privatization, because Rush wants the work force at UIC Medical Center trimmed further.

“The top doctors and administrators at UIC, and the shareholders of Rush-Prudential HMO, want the workers on our knees, begging for our jobs,” said Sirlena Perry, assistant chief steward of Local 73 at UIC. “But I'll be damned if we will allow them to get away with their scheme.”

Breaking News

The UIC management is getting rid of the job-cutting, anti-labor Hunter group. This is a victory for nurses, and all hospital workers at the Medical Center. Expect more coverage of these developments in the next issue of Fight Back!

#ChicagoIL #News #privatization #IllinoisNursesAssociationINA

Fight Back!: The Outpatient Clinics have doubled the number of patient visits in recent years, while the Hunter Group calls for cutting jobs. What are nurses facing here?

Barb Cleveland: First, we are unable to render quality patient care. We're short-staffed, and because of the cuts being made, many nurses are going without breaks, without lunches. We're not able to spend the time that a patient might need. We must give the absolutely necessary care and then move on to the next patient. I work in an outpatient area, and we don't have time to talk to patients, and in Oncology that's very important.

The way that care is expected to be rendered now, it makes it difficult for nurses who love nursing. For myself, seeing the way things are going, I'll probably have to get out of nursing, because I love it that much, and I'm not going to shortchange the patients.

On top of that, we are facing the loss of our jobs, as the Hunter Group called for cuts in every job, including nursing.

Fight Back!: What has come across the negotiating table?

Barb Cleveland: First, management plans to remove the clinics from under the University. The financial part would be turned over to a University-related organization. The physicians would be the employer, but many doctors here don't know about this. The upper ranks of physicians, who don't actually practice medicine here, would own the clinics. This is an act of privatization.

Second, we've now heard that the University plans to appeal to the State Civil Service Merit Board to take the Hospital out from under the University. Management stated that this would mean an end to bumping rights and seniority rights for clerical staff and housekeeping. They told us it wouldn't harm nurses. But we know ourselves that an attack on service workers would be an attack on us.

Management wants to make the Hospital a freestanding institution, because they want to privatize it as well. But we are going to fight them. We'll be at the Board of Trustees meeting in January, and we'll be at the Merit Board in February to oppose them. It is our understanding that for the University to do this with the Hospital, that a majority of employees must vote for it, and they don't want us to have a vote on it.

Management wants nurses and service workers to fight each other. But we are realizing that we're all being worked to the point of incompetence. We have to stop blaming each other and blame the right people.

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