CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) — Workers at the Chicago-based Howard Brown Health came one step closer to going on another strike earlier on Tuesday.
Workers at the medical facility have voted overwhelmingly to authorize a strike, announced Howard Brown Health Workers United, the union that represents the employees.
The strike authorization vote follows contentious contract negotiations. The union said the sticking points are wages, the cost of health care premiums, and a requirement to negotiate with the union about layoffs.
Howard Brown Health has locations in Chicago's North and South Sides and has employees at La Casa Norte in Humboldt Park.
Union workers went on strike in January 2023 to protest the layoff of 61 people in December 2022.
Ronnie Peterson, an organizer with the Illinois Nurses Association — which represents the union — said Howard Brown Health has offered reinstatement to those 61 employees but has not yet provided those workers with back pay.
In a statement released Tuesday night, Howard Brown Health officials said they are prepared to continue high-quality patient services without interruption.
Howard Brown Health administrators also said they had not received notice of the vote, but Peterson said that claim was false. They said the union notified Howard Brown Health CEO David Munar of the vote's results at 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday.
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