Labor Disputes
This is a list of illinois labor disputes involving health benefits, updated periodically. A single-Payer healthcare system would take health benefits off the bargaining table because everyone would have them.
September 2023: Retiree health care an issue in United Auto Workers strike; articles here and here. Also health benefits for workers who are laid off due to plant closings; article here.
January 2023: Inadequate health insurance, including dental, an issue in organizing by graduate students at Northwestern and University of Chicago; article here.
November 2022: Howard Brown Health, Chicago, threatens to cut off health insurance benefits in the event of an employee strike, according to a May 2023 press release from Chicago Jobs with Justice announcing a CJwJ Workers Rights Board hearing.
September 2022: “Give access to affordable health insurance for our part-time professionals” an issue in Strike Authorization Vote by City Colleges of Chicago members of Cook County Teachers Union (Local 1600), according to an email sent on 9/28 by Local 1600 president Tony Johnston.
September 2022: State retirees forced into a single Medicare Advantage Plan, over their objections; article here.
August 2022: Full-time School of the Art Institute faculty do not have health insurance; on Facebook here.
August 2022: Health benefits one issue in threatened railroad strike; article about rally in Galesburg here. September 2022: Possible effect on Chicago-area commuter service here. September 2022: follow-up article here.
July 2022: Communication Workers of America organizes a solidarity fund for workers at Maximus federal call centers around the country; workers are demanding safe working conditions, better wages, and more affordable health care; and some have gone on strike. These workers provide customer support for Medicare and the Affordable Care Act. Maximus operates call centers in Illinois, some of which service federal programs; it is not always possible to tell what the centers do.
March 29, 2022: WTTW cancels health insurance as of April 1 for striking International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) members, forcing them to go on COBRA (communication on the picket line to solidarity supporters from the Chicago Jobs with Justice Workers’ Rights Board; and article here). Follow-up 4/7/22: Strike ended with new contract (Sun-Times article here); workers will be reimbursed for COBRA payments. Quote from article: “The spokesperson said the insurance termination was required by the provider’s rules and was not a decision of WTTW management.” The IBEW strike page did not mention the health insurance issue either during or after the strike.
January 2022: Health benefits an issue in dispute between SEIU Local 1 O’Hare and Midway Airports contract workers and their employers; article here.
January 2022: Health insurance, which may be contingent on working a certain number of hours, an issue in organizing drive by Starbucks workers; article here, and included in sample support letter by other unions.
December 2021: Cost of health insurance premiums an issue in dispute between AFSCME Local 3367 and City of Freeport; article here.
December 2021: Cost of health insurance an issue in dispute between AFSCME Local 3323 and Shelby County; article here.
November 2021: Retiree health benefits an issue in United Auto Workers national strike against John Deere that included Illinois workers; article here.
October 2021: Health benefits an issue in strike authorization vote by Columbia College, Chicago, staff; article here. Update January 2022: Under new contract, health benefits remain at 2018 rate through 2023, after which they will increase “slightly for individuals and ‘more sigificantly’ for families;” article here.
October 2021: Health benefits an issue in dispute over City of Chicago vaccine mandate; article here.
August 2021: A proposed two-tier health benefits system an issue in strike by Nabisco workers around the country including Chicago; article here.
August 2021: Health benefits an issue in strike by Chicago-area International Association of Auto Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) Local 701 auto mechanics; article here.
June 2021: Unaffordable health insurance premiums an issue in strike by SEIU Local 73 Cook County workers; article here.
June 2021: Health benefits an issue in strike authorization vote by Chicago charter school teachers; article here.
October 2020: Laid-off Unite Here hotel workers lost their health insurance; article here; letter to editor here.
February 2020: Unaffordable health care an issue in SEIU Health Care organizing drive among low-wage hospital workers in Chicago and elsewhere in US; article here.
November 2019: Health benefits an issue in threat of SEIU strike at Sinai Health System; article here.
October 2019: Possible loss of health insurance during Chicago Teachers Union strike; explanation here on CTU website (jump to “What about our health insurance?”).
September 2019: Health benefits are one issue in United Auto Workers nationwide (including Chicago area) strike against General Motors. Articles here; here; here; here; here. GM discontinued payment for striking workers' health insurance; article here; and later reinstated it; article here. Meanwhile workers had canceled appointments and otherwise had seen their care disrupted (testimony by workers at pickets).
September 2019: Whole Foods eliminates health benefits for part-time workers nationwide; article here.
September 2019: Cost of health benefits an issue in stike authoriization by Chicago Park District employees (SEIU); article here.
September 2019: Health benefits an issue in threat of strike by Chicago Public Schools support staff (SEIU); more here and here (jump to “Why are we striking?”).
August 2019: Use of non-union workers who receive no health or other benefits an issue in picketing at downtown Chicago construction site by IBEW Local 134; article here.
July 2019: The cost of health benefits an issue in contract dispute between Chicago Teachers Union and Mayor Lori Lightfoot; more here.
May 2019: Access to health benefits an issue in strike by Chicago City Colleges staff; more here.
Arpil 2019: Health benefits an issue in 3-week-long strike by the University of Illinois Chicago Graduate Employees Organization; more here.
November 2018: Health benefits an issue in long-running contract dispute between AFSCME Council 31 and Rauner administation; more here.
November 2018: Threat of loss of healthcare used by UPS and Teamsters as a threat to force signing of concessions contract; more here.
November 2018: Health benefits one issue in strike vote by Chicago Teachers Union charter school staff; more here.
October 2018: Health benefits an issue in strike vote by Jackson County AFSCME members; more here.
October 2018: Health benefits one issue in U of Chicago graduate students organizing; more here.
October 2018: Health benefits one of the issues over which Teamsters Local 705 is considering a strike vote; more here.
October 2018: Laid-off grocery chain workers protest loss of health benefits as well as wages; more here.
October 2018: Lack of health insurance and threats to discontinue the health insurance program for retirees are issues in Chicago City Colleges informational pickets demanding contract talks; more here.
September 2018: UNITE HERE Chicago hotel workers on strike in part over health benefits; more here. October 2018: Workers at Cambria Hotel asked to accept unsafe working conditions in exchange for getting year-round employer sponsored health insurance; more here.
September 2018: Health benefits one of the issues in United Steelworkers strike authorization vote that included two locals at Gary Works; more here.
July 2018: Strike authorization vote by UNITE HERE hospitality workers in part over interrupted health insurance coverage during winter lay-offs; more here.
July 2018: Unaffordable health insurance an issue in SEIU Healthcare action at Illinois Hospital Association; more here.
July 2018: Health insurance cost an issue in window washers' strike, Chicago; more here and here.
June 2018: Affordable health insurance an issue in contract bargaining between Methodist Hospitals and SEIU Healthcare Illinois, Inidana, Missouri, Kansas ; more here.
April 2018: Health benefit costs an issue in threatened faculty strike at Black Hawk College; more here.
March 2018: Lack of health benefits an issue in threatened strike by Loyola University non-tenure-track faculty; more here.
March 2018: Railroads demand concessions on worker health benefits; videos of worker action here and here. July 2018: ultimately the railroads won concessions on health benefits; more here.
March 2018: Lack of health benefits an issue in strike authorization vote by University of Chicago non-tenure-track faculty; more here.
March 2018: Lack of health insurance an issue in one-day strike by YMCA child care workers, SEIU Health Care; more here.
February 2018: Inadequate health insurance an issue in Northwestern University Graduate Workers organizing campaign; here on their website.
February 2018: Health care an issue in potential strike by the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign Graduate Employee Organization; more here. Update 3/1518 here.
February 2018: Health care an issue in averted strike threat by West Chicago high school teachers; more here.
February 2018: Health benefits an issue in prolonged contract negotiations between city of Chicago and Amalgamated Transit Union; more here; see also 7/4/17 update entry here.
December 2017: health benefits an issue in Chicago O'Hare restaurant workers' strike; more here.
November 2017: See April 2017.
November 2017: health benefits for striking low-wage Palatine school support staff canceled at beginning of strike; more here.
November 2017: health benefits an issue in threatened strike by Quincy teachers and educational support staff; more here.
October 2017: Health benefits an issue in job actions by Amalgamated Transit Union workers; video here.
October 2017: See April 2017.
October 2017: health benefits an issue in DePaul University, Chicago, security guards' 1-day strike; more here.
August 2017: health benefits an issue in Autotomobile Mechanics Local 701 strike August 1-1?, 2017; personal communication from workers on picket line to Anne Scheetz; report on settlement of strike here.
July 2017: health benefits an issue in Amalgamated Transit Union Local 308 straw strike authorization vote, here. Update 10/12/17 here.
June 2017: dispute with new Navy Pier security contractor, over health benefits in part, here.
June 2017: attack on City of Chicago workers' health benefits, here. 11/28/17: retirees denied health subsidy here.
May 2017: AT&T workers threaten strike, in part over health benefits, nationwide including Illinois, here.
May 2017: "fair health care" one of the issues in stike authorization vote at Passages Charter School, Chicago; here.
April 2017: proposed increase in health benefit contributions an issue in dispute between railroads and track workers, nationwide including Illinois; here; October 2017 here and here. November 28 here.
March 2017: health care costs an issue in strike by school bus drivers, cafeteria workers, and paraprofessionals, Rockford; here.
February 2017: proposed 100% increase in health benefit contributions an issue in strike authorization vote by American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, Illinois; here.
January 2017: stolen health insurance premiums an issue in work stoppage by coffee shop workers, Chicago; here.
December 2016: proposed increase in health care premiums an issue in strike by International Association of Machinists, Quincy; here.
November 2016: proposed increase in health insurance premiums an issue in contract talks between Amagamated Transit Unon and Chicago Transit Aurhority; here.
September 2016: retired miners threatened with loss of retirement benefits, including health care, southern Illinois; here.
August 2016: proposed increased health care costs and decreased choice of plans an issue in strike authorization vote by Chicago Teachers Union; here.
August 2016: Mayor Emanuel shifts health care costs onto city workers and retirees, Chicago; here.
July 2016: unaffordable employer-sponsored health insurance an issue in contract bargaining by UNITE HERE hotel housekeepers, Chicago; here.
April 2016: Cost of health benefits an issue in nationwide bargaining between Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes and Class I railroads, and BMWED organizing; article here.
March 2016: lack of health benefits an issue in strike by airport operations workers, O'Hare Airport; here.
January 2016: proposed increase in health insurance premiums an issue in strike authorization vote by Lake Villa teachers; here.
November 2015: SEIU goes to court to force state to pay members' health insurance costs, Illinois; here.
September 2015: increased health benefit costs an issue in strike authorization vote and lock-out involving three unions at forging company, Champaign; here.
September 2015: increased health care costs an issue in university faculty strike, Rockford; here.
October 2014: protection of health insurance an issue in teachers' strike, Waukegan; here.
July 2014: proposed increase in health insurance costs an issue in United Steelworkers strike, Franklin Park; here.
July 2014: increased health care costs an issue in strike by auto mechanics, East Dundee; here.
July 2014: lack of health benefits an issue in strike by moving company workers, Skokie; here.
June 2014: affordable health benefits an issue in contract dispute, Cook County employees; here.
October 2013: SK Tool Strike over cancellation of health benefits; video here.
March-June 2013: United Mine Workers demand continuation of health and pension benefits in bankruptcy proceedings; articles here and here; letter here.
2012: summary article on labor disputes here.
November 2011: Hyatt Hotels threatens to discontinue striking workers’ health insurance; articles here and here.