Striking Loretto Hospital workers hail tentative contract with management

Following an 11-day strike, nearly 200 Loretto Hospital workers celebrated a major win on Thursday after reaching a tentative agreement with hospital management on pay hikes and addressing a staffing crisis.

“Today’s hard-fought victory is a testament to the collective power of working people to uplift entire communities. Frontline Loretto Hospital workers refused to settle for poor care and unsafe staffing, because the Austin community deserves better,” said SEIU Healthcare Illinois President Greg Kelley in a statement. “This contract is a win for the entire West Side of Chicago.”

Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times file

The hospital had long dealt with a dire staffing crisis, with vacancy rates ranging from 25% to 35% across various positions and an annual staff turnover of 60%, the union said in a statement. Now, Loretto workers can expect increased minimum wage rates across all job titles, comprehensive wage hikes, special recognition of years of service dedicated to both the Austin community and the hospital itself, and a Juneteenth paid holiday.

“I went on strike because the Austin community deserves a fully staffed hospital where patients don’t have to wait for hours and hours for a clean bed,” said Yolanda McPhearson, a lead crisis worker and bargaining committee member. “It’s common sense that we can’t address a staffing crisis without paying workers livable wages. This contract is a huge win for safe staffing and quality care.”

Although the hospital had received $10 million in funding from the state of Illinois specifically to address worker recruitment and retention, union members went back and forth with hospital management for months before landing on an agreement, the statement said.

Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times fiile

Negotiations for a new contract had been ongoing since May.

In one instance, the union had presented an offer that included starting wages of $17 per hour. It was rejected with no counteroffer, according to union members.

Striking workers, joined by elected officials, allies and faith leaders, said they would wait for as long as it took to get management to return to the bargaining table.

On Tuesday, Rep. Danny Davis, D-Ill., whose district includes Loretto, publicly urged both parties to convene and reach an equitable agreement.

“We know we could make more at another hospital, but we stay here because we care about our patients and community,” said Carla Haskins, a Loretto patient care tech and bargaining committee member. This fight has always been about securing quality healthcare for Loretto patients and Austin community members — a community we workers belong to ourselves.”

Last year, the hospital’s chief executive and president abruptly left. Employees learned of George Miller’s departure in a brief memo from the hospital’s general counsel.

The move followed several investigations from Block Club Chicago and the Better Government Association revealing alleged financial mismanagement at Loretto and potential misuse of COVID-19 vaccines when they were in high demand and short supply.

The hospital board launched a probe into allegations that executives had taken city-supplied vaccines and used them to inoculate people at the Trump Tower downtown and other locations, rather than use it for residents of the Austin community that Loretto serves. In some of the cases, the hospital gave shots to those who were not eligible.