CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- Mental health professionals who work with Cook County Jail detainees are threatening to strike next week.
The 64 mental health specialists at Cermak Health Services of Cook County, a county-operated hospital located at Cook County Jail, are pushing back over a plan that they call a “musical chairs” rotation, including Lauren Cartwright.
"We are being forced to rotate," Cartwright said, "when fears, anxieties, stressors, anger, tensions appear insurmountable for out clients. "
Their union, SEIU Local 73, said Cermak Health Services management told them the decision is based on academic studies that show rotations improve patient safety and employee complacency; but SEIU Local 73 spokesman Eric Bailey said management has failed to provide this evidence.
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Without a solution, the mental health specialists plan to strike as soon as March 31. If the employees strike, they could leave about 2,200 patients without care.
The union has sent the legally required five-day notice — which states workers’ intent to strike — to the Illinois Labor Relations Board and hospital management.