IHA Alert: Urge Aldermen to Exclude Hospitals from Restrictive Scheduling Ordinance

June 6, 2019

ADVOCACY ALERT

Urge Aldermen to EXCLUDE Hospitals From Work Scheduling Ordinance – Key Committee Hearing and Vote on Monday, June 10

A highly restrictive work scheduling ordinance proposal that includes hospitals (known as the “Fair Workweek” ordinance – O2019-3928) will go to a hearing and vote of the Chicago City Council’s Committee on Workforce Development on Monday, June 10. SEIU Healthcare and the United Food and Commercial Workers are aggressively pushing the ordinance and refusing to exempt hospitals.

IHA strongly opposes any scheduling ordinance that includes hospitals because it would be unworkable and costly. Hospitals are exempted from work scheduling ordinances in New York City, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Seattle, and Washington DC, and the state of Oregon. We need to let Committee members and sponsors of the ordinance know that a work scheduling ordinance would harm Chicago hospitals and patients and that hospitals should be excluded from the ordinance.

ACTION REQUESTED: Contact Aldermen on the Workforce Development Committee as well as the Sponsors of the ordinance – BEFORE MONDAY – and urge them to exclude hospitals from the work scheduling ordinance proposal.

Members of the Committee on Workforce Development – Including Sponsors of Ordinance

Name

Ward Office Phone

Email Address

Susan Sadlowski-Garza (Chair/Sponsor)

773-768-8138 

Ward10@cityofchicago.org

Jason Ervin (Vice Chair/Sponsor)

773-533-0900 

Ward28@cityofchicago.org

Anthony Beale

773-785-1100 

Ward09@cityofchicago.org

Howard Brookins Jr. (Sponsor)           

773-881-9300 

Ward21@cityofchicago.org

Walter Burnett Jr. (Sponsor)

312-432-1995

Ward27@cityofchicago.org

Derrick Curtis (Sponsor)

773-284-5057

Ward18@cityofchicago.org

Raymond Lopez

773-306-0837 

Ward15@cityofchicago.org

Emma Mitts (Sponsor)

773-379-0960 

Ward37@cityofchicago.org

Anthony Napolitano   

773-631-2241 

Ward41@cityofchicago.org

Marty Quinn

773-581-8000 

Ward13@cityofchicago.org

Carlos Ramirez-Rosa (Sponsor)

773-887-3772 

Ward35@cityofchicago.org

Brendan Reilly

312-642-4242

Ward42@cityofchicago.org

Michael Rodriquez (Sponsor)

 

Ward22@cityofchicago.org

Nicholas Sposato

773-283-3838

Ward38@cityofchicago.org

Chris Taliaferro (Sponsor)

773-237-6460 

Ward29@cityofchicago.org

Patrick Thompson

773-254-6677 

Ward11@cityofchicago.org

Thomas Tunney                                

773-525-6034 

Ward44@cityofchicago.org

Gilbert Villegas (Sponsor)

773-745-4636

Ward36@cityofchicago.org


Other Sponsors of the “Fair Workweek Ordinance”

Name

Ward Office Phone

Email Address

Carrie Austin

773-928-6961

Ward34@cityofchicago.org

George Cardenas

773-523-8250

Ward12@cityofchicago.org

Felix Cardona Jr.

773-703-7357

Ward31@cityofchicago.org

Pat Dowell

773-373-9273

Ward3@cityofchicago.org

James Gardiner

 

Ward45@cityofchicago.org

Maria Hadden 

 

Ward49@cityofchicago.org

Leslie Hairston

773-324-5555 

Ward5@cityofchicago.org

Sophia King

773-536-8103

Ward4@cityofchicago.org

Daniel La Spata          

 

Ward1@cityofchicago.org

Roberto Maldonado

773-395-0143 

Ward26@cityofchicago.org

Matthew Martin                      

312-488-9345 

Ward47@cityofchicago.org

David Moore  

773-783-3672 

Ward17@cityofchicago.org

Harry Osterman

773-784-5277

Ward48@cityofchicago.org

Rossana Rodriguez-Sanchez

 

Ward33@cityofchicago.org

Byron Sigcho-Lopez

 

Ward25@cityofchicago.org

Debra Silverstein

773-262-1050

Ward50@cityofchicago.org

Silvana Tabares          

773-582-4444 

Ward23@cityofchicago.org

Jeanette Taylor

 

Ward20@cityofchicago.org

Andres Vasquez Jr.

 

Ward40@cityofchicago.org

Scott Waguespack       

773-248-1330 

Ward32@cityofchicago.org

 

Suggested Talking Points

  • I urge you to exclude hospitals from the “Fair Workweek” ordinance proposal.
  • Elsewhere around the country, hospitals have been exempted from work scheduling ordinances in New York City, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Seattle and Washington DC and the state of Oregon.
  • Our hospital and Chicago’s 40 other hospitals are the cornerstones of healthcare for the millions of people residing in Chicago – and they are vital to the city’s economy, generating more than 130,000 direct and indirect jobs and an annual economic impact of $29 billion.
  • The ordinance’s very restrictive requirements are unworkable and impractical for hospitals given unpredictable shifts in patient volumes and needs and staffing needs.
  • The ordinance would undermine the timely and efficient delivery of healthcare to patients, which it recognizes and acknowledges by exempting Cook County Health and the University of Illinois Hospital and Health Sciences System.
  • For example, if there were a major disaster or incident in Chicago – e.g., a chemical spill, fire, car wreck, active shooter, violence – many hospitals would receive an influx of patients needing critical life-saving care.  
  • To ensure that the hospitals are fully staffed to meet this unplanned demand, additional nurses, technicians and support staff would be called in on very short notice.  
  • But under the proposed ordinance, hospitals would be forced to pay a penalty for every employee who is called in – or they would be forced to go short-staffed and risk and the health and safety of their patients or go on emergency bypass and force sick or injured patients to be transported to another hospital, wasting precious time they may not have.
  • Imposing this ordinance on hospitals and their employees while exempting hundreds of other employers and tens of thousands of employees from its problematic requirements is irrational and fundamentally flawed.  If these employers are exempt, there is an even more compelling argument for excluding hospitals. (Exempt employers/employees include: any employee who works in a sports stadium; state and local government employers; restaurants that have less than 30 locations and less than 250 employees at any one location; any employee covered by a collective bargaining agreement who works in construction, public utilities, telecommunications or for a warehouse that competes with the postal service, such as UPS.
  • Our hospital is strongly committed to supporting our healthcare workers in providing them a good, stable, professional work environment -- with flexibility in their schedules and good benefits.  We also help train and advance our employees from entry-level or part-time jobs to higher-level, higher-paying, full-time jobs throughout their careers in healthcare.  
  • Hospitals across Chicago have unique needs and demands and must have the flexibility to align and deploy their employees to provide timely, quality healthcare to patients, but this proposal would unnecessarily jeopardize the ability of hospitals to meet those needs. And it would have the negative impact on hospital employees of imposing rigid work schedules.
  • For all of these reasons, I urge you to exclude hospitals from the “Fair Workweek” ordinance proposal.

Background – Requirements of the Chicago Fair Workweek Ordinance Proposal

  • The ordinance applies to Chicago employers with hourly employees or salaried employees earning less than $50,000 a year -- and applies to ALL hourly employees.
  • Chicago employers must post work schedules for their employees at least 10 days in advance from April 1, 2020 to March 31, 2022; and at least 14 days in advance beginning April 1, 2022.
  • Employers must pay their employees for at least one additional hour of “predictability pay” if the work schedule changes or if work hours are added or subtracted.
  • If work hours are canceled or reduced with less than 24 hours’ notice, the employer must pay the employee no less than one-half times the employee’s regular hourly pay rate for any scheduled hours that the employee does not work.
  • Employees have the right to decline unscheduled hours that an employer adds if the employee has received less than 10 days’ notice of the additional hours from April 1, 2020 to March 31, 2022; and less than 14 days’ notice beginning April 1, 2022.
  • An employee has the right to decline shifts that occur during the 10 hours following the end of a shift.
  • Before hiring new employees or contract employees, including the use of a temporary or staffing agency, an employer must first offer additional hours to existing employees.
  • Employers must provide newly hired employees, in writing prior to or on the commencement of employment, an estimate of the median number of hours they are expected to work and their work schedule.
  • Employers face fines of $300 for each affected employee in each pay period for failing to comply with the ordinance.

For more information, contact David Gross at 217-541-1161 or dgross@team-iha.org.