The staff of the Lake County Well being Division are transferring ahead with the unionization efforts with the American State Federation, County and Municipal Staff 31, which is able to carry round 600 County workers beneath the union umbrella.
Final week, the employees introduced a majority curiosity request earlier than the Illinois Labor Relations Board, in keeping with a press launch. The Board will confirm that the petition consists of the signatures of most workers and can certify the negotiation unit. This course of might take a number of weeks or months, the union organizers stated.
AFSCME already represents the workers of the primary choose of the Lake County, the circuit worker and the coroner, in keeping with the assertion. It has 1.four million members all through the nation, together with 90,000 energetic and retired members in Illinois.
Roberta Lynch, Government Director of AFSCME, stated the union is “happy” in order that the workers of the Well being Division be a part of their “commerce union household.”
“Assembly in a robust union offers public service employees the ability to enhance issues for them and their households, their communities and the individuals they serve,” Lynch stated.
Cameron Crombie is an environmental well being skilled with the Division of Well being, who was a part of the group efforts. Whereas he stated that these efforts started final yr, it has been a very long time “, with different makes an attempt that date again to years.
There are “many various issues for a lot of completely different individuals,” stated Crombie, though he stated Pay was a driver for a lot of. A earlier compensation research by the County had discovered that the wage of the division was 7% under the market fee within the space, he stated.
“We’re one of many lowest well being departments within the space,” he stated. “The results of that was that we obtained lower than 7% of will increase.”
In line with the assertion, past the perfect pay, the employees of the Division of Well being had been motivated to unionize to scale back rotation, enhance transparency and accountability for senior administration and search higher job safety at a time of “uncertainty and federal financing cuts threatened.”
“As LCHD workers, we need to have a voice. Uniting at AFSCME permits us to have the contribution so needed that we deserve,” stated Erika Lavin, Family Councilor and a member of the Commerce Union Organizing Committee. “Organizing as a union offers us the chance to advocate for higher salaries, working circumstances and advantages. This, in flip, will enhance the standard of the companies we offer.”
The advantages are usually not only for workers, Crombie stated. Ethical promoted amongst employees creates a greater work setting and means higher companies for the neighborhood. And higher compensation will enhance workers, serving to to construct and preserve institutional information.
Crombie stated there’s a “nice hole” within the demography of the workers, and the workers have been there many years or just a few years. The latest workers can not resort to the identical information base as essentially the most senior workers, already measure that older workers go away, take their institutional information with them.
“We have to develop that for the county,” he stated.
There’s nonetheless extra work forward, however Crombie expressed his enthusiasm for taking part. There will probably be an upcoming vote on work courses, which might mix or divide employees between “skilled” and “non -professional”. Crombie advocated voting to mix courses, which stated it might strengthen the negotiation unit.