CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- A union representing many Cook County employees is accusing the Preckwinkle Administration of using federal CARES Act money to fly in other workers to break a possible strike.
SEIU Local 73 has authorized a strike against Cook County over hazard pay during COVID-19 and working conditions, among other issues. Now, Local President Dian Palmer accuses the Preckwinkle Administration of hiring people to counter any walkout.
"They chose to bring in strikebreakers from outside of the state, in places like South Carolina and Georgia," she said.
Joyce Klein, a social work coordinator for the hospitals, calls it an insult and a health threat.
"While county employees continue to fight for a fair and just contract, the Cook County management has made the decision to spend millions of dollars hiring strikebreakers from high-risk COVID-19 states," Klein said.
But Israel Rocha, the new CEO of Cook County’s Health and Hospital system, insists they’re not strikebreakers. He said they simply need a temporary expandable workforce to deal with COVID-19.
"Given all the responsibilities that have come in responding with COVID, whether it be doing a testing program, expanding resources, creating new floors, now doing a vaccination protocol - it has required that we have a temporary, but expandable workforce," he said. "We worked with temporary organizations to help us procure the workforce, which comes from many different places."
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Still, SEIU produced a purported recruiting application that specifically said Cook County strike.
County Board President Toni Preckwinkle said the government has reached agreement with some of its other unions and talks with SEIU are ongoing.