Illinois
“Nothing stops a bullet like a job”: 6th ward residents unite against gun violence, unemployment
Child care, home care, nursing home, and hospital workers organized a candlelight vigil against gun violence in Chicago’s Chatham neighborhood this month, highlighting a need for greater job opportunities to keep young people away from gangs.
Members of SEIU and the Chatham neighborhood displayed flyers about the connections between gun violence and a lack of economic opportunity in the community.
Members held the vigil on the site of a tragic shooting. On Nov. 5th, 2011, three innocent bystanders, two men and one woman, all in their 20s, were killed in the parking lot of Church’s Chicken and A Piece of Cake bakery on 87th and South King Drive. The woman who was slain was picking up a birthday cake for her two-year-old daughter. No one has been charged in the shooting.
Several residents of the 6th Ward who have been shot, or whose loved ones have been shot, spoke about the physical and psychological pain of dealing with shootings in their neighborhoods. Home care worker Cynthia Youngblood, who also works part-time for Chicago Public Schools helping special needs children, almost lost her 17-year-old daughter when she was shot twice by random gunfire last June. Her daughter Diamond was hospitalized for 15 days and still needs crutches. Seven months later, Cynthia still has to take significant time off work, unpaid, in order to take her daughter to physical rehabilitation, counseling and medical visits.
“Every time I take my daughter to physical rehab or counseling it means I’m not able to work. We struggle to get by. Those two bullets did a lot of damage to my daughter and to our family,” said Youngblood. “Why are we dealing with random gunfire in our neighborhoods? We need to build-up our communities by creating jobs, not tearing our neighborhoods apart,” Youngblood said.
6th ward alderman Roderick Sawyer came out to support our anti-violence initiative.
Child care worker Jacqueline Smith was shot in the back in September 2008 in the Gresham neighborhood. Jacqueline, who had just watched the four young children that she was caring for leave her home, was struck by a stray bullet that almost punctured her lung. Three other bullets struck the outside of her house but the children weren’t injured. Jacqueline eventually moved her child care service to the 6th Ward, thinking it would be a safer and quieter place to continue her business, but she worries that the community where she wanted to restart her life is becoming more and more dangerous.
“Let’s be honest, we have too many young men who don’t have jobs and don’t see any way that they can contribute their lives towards a future. We simply can’t allow our young people to slip through the cracks because they can’t find meaningful work,” said Smith, who could not attend the vigil but offered a statement. “If we want to reduce violence, we have to start by giving people a purpose and a job with a livable wage.”
The candlelight ceremony will be the first of many opportunities for members, residents and community partners to become involved in actions against neighborhood violence and the lack of job opportunities that allows it to flourish. Members are creating a community-based coalition in the 6th Ward to advocate for solutions, aiming to mobilize union members and to partner with interfaith groups and churches, non-profit organizations, small businesses, and civic leaders to create jobs, improve schools, reduce home foreclosures, prevent violence, and encourage economic development and investment in the 6th Ward.
Watch Alderman Sawyer and Cynthia and Diamond Youngblood address gun violence in their community:
Child care providers win rate increase!
Child care providers united in SEIU Healthcare Illinois received a 3% rate increase, effective Jan. 1, 2012 that will be reflected in our February checks. The rate increase – the 5th increase in our current contract, with two more increases still to come – is possible because of our strong, united stand to win a good contract. (more…)
Better watch out, CME Grinches: the 99% is coming to town!
SEIU Healthcare Illinois and Indiana members spread a little Christmas cheer at the Chicago Board of Trade last week, conducting a Salvation Army-style mock charity drive for the CME Group.
"We see you when you're stealing, we need you to atone, we know when you make money, so you better leave us alone!"
The CME Group has made headlines recently as its bid for a $100 million state tax break was overwhelmingly defeated by the Illinois House of Representatives, but the group’s demand for corporate welfare is likely to resurface in Springfield. Despite earning $900 million in profits last year, the CME Group has repeatedly threatened to leave the state, taking its jobs with it, if legislators don’t pander to its demands for a taxpayer handout.
In spite of members’ Santa hats, festive bells, and lovely singing voices belting adapted Christmas carols like “CME gets tax breaks, and we get charged more, they’re the Grinch that stole Christmas, stealing from the poor!” to the tune of “We Wish You a Merry Christmas,” few passersby seemed interested in giving to the rich this holiday season.
"Taking money from the many, stealing taxes penny by penny!"
“These people have their hands out to get even more money from taxpayers, money we should be spending on things that the poor and the middle class need, like job creation and Medicare. People are losing their homes, their jobs, they don’t have money for food, and the CME is threatening to take their jobs out of the state if we don’t give them $100 million? Everyone knows that’s a scare tactic. It’s blackmail,” said DORS PA Flora Johnson.
After the demonstration at the Board of Trade, members went across the street to the Occupy Chicago site at Jackson and LaSalle to deliver lunches to protesters there.
See video from the demonstration:
Chicago, Joliet, and St. Louis members and allies join in nationwide Day of Action
Members and allies demonstrated on a bridge in Joliet, calling on Rep. Adam Kinzinger to put his constitutents to work.
All across the country on November 17th, unions, community groups, chapters of the Occupy movement, and other diverse representatives of the 99% came together to demand support for job creation instead of more corporate welfare.
In Chicago, Joliet, and St. Louis, SEIU Healthcare members spoke, marched, and occupied bridges to speak against cuts to vital safety-net programs as hundreds of similar actions across the country made our voices even stronger.
Home care worker Veronica Wansley spoke out for home care consumers on a bridge in St. Louis.
“My consumer has multiple sclerosis, and she’s blind. It’s a proven fact that it would cost more to put her in a nursing home than to continue to fund the programs that allow me to help her stay safe and independent in her own home, and it would eliminate the jobs of thousands of health care workers like me. I’m here to say that Congress needs to focus on protecting jobs and safety-net programs, not tax breaks for corporations and the rich,” Veronica said.
“I depend on Social Security, Medicaid, and public housing to get my needs met, but I’m not just worried about me,” said Jane Addams Senior Caucus leader Ruth Long, addressing the crowd in Chicago shortly before it shut down the LaSalle St. bridge. “I’m worried about the thousands of vulnerable Americans who depend on these programs who are suffering because of the greed and selfishness of the 1%.”
Hear more from Veronica, Ruth, and other participants at our three actions, and read more about the National Day of Action.
Hospital workers, community residents, and allies rally to protect Medicare and Medicaid
Workers, patients, and others whose lives would be negatively affected by the closure of Englewood’s St. Bernard Hospital gathered there on November 10th to say, “Hands off my Medicare!”
As Congress’ supercommittee works toward a decision about how to handle our nation’s debt crisis, working people all over the country are sending the message that cutting the funding that keeps vital safety-net hospitals running isn’t the way to fix our broken economy. In addition to leaving low-income and elderly community members high and dry when it comes to their health, hospital closures due to Medicaid and Medicare cutbacks will put thousands of health care providers out of work–61,000 in Illinois alone.
Englewood resident Frances Smith tells the crowd how the closure of St. Bernard Hospital would affect her health.
“People like Ms. Frances count on this hospital,” said St. Bernard Unit Secretary Veronica Powell, referring to a resident of a nearby retirement building who also spoke at the rally. “Cutting the funding that keeps St. Bernard open means cutting off their lifeline to the care they need.”
“And, cutting funding means cutting jobs from our economy,” Veronica added. “St. Bernard is the largest employer in Englewood–if this place closes, I’ll be out of a job, along with nearly 700 other workers.”
Hear more from Veronica and Frances Smith:
ACTION ALERT: Tell Congress what federal child care funding means to your community!
Right now, Congress’ supercommittee is deciding how to reduce our nation’s looming deficit, and with it, the fate of Head Start programs that provide working families with the quality care they need to stay in school and got to work every day. Together, child care providers and consumers are working to make millionaire members of Congress understand that cuts to federal funding of state child care programs will make it harder for parents to take or keep the jobs they need to support their families as the economy struggles to recover.
“I’m a single mother juggling school, work, and motherhood. I and thousands of other parents depend on programs like Head Start to provide not just a safe place for my son to stay while I’m at work, but to give him a good education. Federal child care funding makes it possible for many families to improve their lives by working while going back to school in order to make it in this economy–if it weren’t for Head Start, I couldn’t make this work for my family.” –Candice Battle
It’s up to us to carry the voices of working parents to the representatives making decisions that affect their lives. Please talk to your child care parents about the impact that quality child care makes on their lives and families, and share their answers with us.
Members ally with seniors to protect Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security
Traffic outside of Chicago’s Federal Plaza ground to a halt on November 7th as SEIU Healthcare Illinois and Indiana members, seniors, community, labor, and religious allies, and more gathered to urge elected officials to keep Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security fully funded.
Before nearly 50 activists were peacefully arrested for occupying the Jackson and Clark intersection, hundreds gathered in the Plaza itself to hear testimony from elected officials and from those who would be devastated by a federal budget that slashes safety-net funding.
Flora Johnson spoke to defend her son's health care and independence.
Home care member Flora Johnson brought her son Kenneth, who has cerebral palsy, to the action to illustrate what these programs mean for thousands of Illinois families.
“If Congress cuts these programs, my son could lose his wheelchair because if it breaks, I can’t afford to fix it. He wouldn’t be able to get his flu shots and asthma medication,” Flora said, addressing the crowd. “I’ve worked all my life and contributed to society, and like millions of others, I’m telling Congress to save Medicaid and make the wealthy pay their fair share!”
Rose Crawford, a Chicago PA, took arrest to help send the message that cutting Medicaid and other programs is bad for everyone–those who need care, those who work to provide it, and the economy as a whole.
“My client is a 59-year-old man with degenerative arthritis and COPD. He can’t stand up to make food for himself and clean his house, but he can live in his home with dignity if he has a little help. If Congress cuts these programs, he’ll be institutionalized in a nursing home that costs the state more than home care does, and I’ll be out of work and in the unemployment line. That’s why we’re out here, taking the streets and getting arrested–these programs matter.”
Visit our photostream to see more pictures of this event.
Members took to the streets shouting slogans like "You say cut back? We say fight back!"
Paid training for Personal Assistants starts this month!
By standing together in our Union, Personal Assistants won training for the first time in our Union contract that will improve the high-quality care we provide consumers!
Training is starting in November and December with hands-on classes designed for healthcare providers like us: First Aid, CPR and Defibrillator Use; Universal Precautions; and Body Mechanics and Safe Lifting. The classes will be FREE for Personal Assistants. You have the opportunity to gain these skills with the full cost paid for by your new SEIU Member Education and Training Center. PAs will receive 3 hours pay to attend most classes, but will not be paid to attend Red Cross classes.
To register, call the Member Education and Training Center at 877-456-4477. Watch your mail for information about more classes starting soon!
Video: Demanding fairness from the Chicago Board of Trade, donating supplies to Occupy Chicago
A growing coalition of community, religious and labor organizations including Stand Up! Chicago gathered this week to demand that the Chicago Mercantile Exchange pay its fair share towards creating jobs in the city. Activists also donated sleeping bags, hats, and other supplies to members of Occupy Chicago to help them continue to protest as the weather gets colder.
See more coverage of the event, including reactions from traders at the Chicago Board of Trade.
Midwest Rehabilitation and Respiratory unites in SEIU Healthcare Illinois and Indiana!
After months of hard work and determination, workers at Midwest Rehabilitation and Respiratory in Belleville, IL voted overwhelmingly to join together in SEIU Healthcare Illinois and Indiana!
Workers at Midwest voted 78-14 to unite for good jobs and quality care in Belleville, IL.
“After Midwest was bought by a new company, working conditions started to degrade,” said Lauren Miller, a CNA at the nursing home. “It took a couple of months for the idea of joining a union to spread from just a few of us to a wide majority of the staff, but we worked hard and got it done.”
Midwest employees are looking forward to making big changes at the facility, including increasing the supply budget, getting management to hire more staff, and replacing old and broken equipment that employees need to care for their residents safely.
“Everyone’s so excited to get started improving this place,” said Virgie Watson, CNA. “Being united means we have a seat at the table with management and a way to really get things done around here.”
Midwest employees will soon begin bargaining their first contract. Check back here for updates.