Dear Members,
I am sure that over the last few months you have seen media coverage of the City of Chicago’s financial trouble. Most of it comes as no surprise to all of us that once again the City waits until the last second to try and put a plan in place.
Let me make this perfectly clear, contrary to what you may have heard in the rumor mill or from other spokespersons of so called labor organizations, your Local 1001 told the City quite some time ago that we are not interested in doing their job for them and they are not family, friends or business partners and so, if the City needs financial assistance we suggested they find it elsewhere.
I am personally tired of the inuendoes and threats of furloughs, layoffs, cuts and or whatever nonsense the City throws out there. We have been down this road more times than I care to admit and after almost 11 years of our members making huge financial sacrifices, we finally got our own with the new Contract. I spent countless hours drafting proposals and working figures to help move hundreds of our brothers and sisters forward after years of being held back. I am not going to give it back, period. The changes that came with the new contract were life changing for hundreds and hundreds of our brothers and sisters and their families and I will not let them try to maneuver around me and this Local Union by selling the idea that “we are in this together” when we have over a hundred of our members still waiting to be made whole on their retro checks from January. And they are so arrogant that it has been over two months that the Deputy Mayor of Labor will even respond to Local 1001. In fact they did not even invite Local 1001 to the Mayor’s Budget Briefing with the rest of the city unions because, I can only assume, they were afraid I would say something that was upsetting to them. Well guess what, you should be upset City of Chicago, you failed to get your financial house in order and now you want to threaten the men and women who keep this City clean and running 24-7. You want their Union to come to you hat in hand and talk about concessions, THAT IS NOT HAPPENING! You ratified our contract on September 18, 2023 and we are still fighting you on certain parts of it and we will continue to do so but don’t think for one second we are partners and don’t even think we will give anything back.
Our members lived for years making bare wages and they kept their houses in order and their families made huge sacrifices, so here’s an idea, how about we send them to City Hall to show the City how to get their house in order?
We’re Stronger Together, We’re Union and We Ain’t going Nowhere!
Bob Chianelli
Business Manager – LiUNA Local 1001