Strike Looms for Oak Park Employees

Dozens of union workers employed by the Village of Oak Park will strike on Saturday and Monday, the result of simmering tensions over contract negotiations.

The action was finalized Thursday after mediations and negotiations between village officials and representatives of Service Employees International Union Local 73 broke down, Oak Leaves reports.

At issue for the workers and village management are two sticking points: raises and new limits on overtime pay.

According to Wednesday Journal, union leaders say the village's latest deal on raises in the contract proposal — 1 percent wage increase, 1 percent merit increase — comes with a catch: The new contract would take away a worker's right to file grievances against the village, notable because the provision would take away an employee's chance to complain about potentially bad reviews during the merit raise process.

"No matter what they give you, you can not fight it," reads a Local 73 flyer.

Regarding overtime pay, union leaders say the village has proposed a stipulation that prohibits overtime pay if a worker uses sick, holiday and vacation days in the same week of overtime.

The Saturday strike could be particularly damaging. That's when crowds will pack to buy vehicle stickers and parking passes before the July 15 deadline. At Monday's Oak Park Village Board meeting, trustees authorized a plan that would provide replacement workers in the event of the strike.

“We realize the importance of assisting residents, but this has become the only way to show village management how crucial we all are in the village’s day-to-day operations,” union leader Marijo Lopez said on the Local 73 website.

Who's striking?

Seventy-six members of the Service Employees International Union Local 73. Those employees perform a wide range of jobs for the Village of Oak Park, including duties in the following departments (via village documents): Building Property and Standards, Community Planning, Housing Programs, Finance, Information Technology, Parking and Mobility Services, Police (limited to civilian positions Including parking enforcement), Public Health, Public Works (limited to clerical, engineering and forestry positions), and the Office of the Village Clerk.

For a complete list of salaries and benefits in those job categories, check out the attached document.