Chicago, IL
In August 1995, workers at the state veterans' home in Anna, Illinois voted to be represented by AFSCME. Yet one year later, these workers have been unable to negotiate a first contract with ServiceMaster, the for-profit, out-of-state contractor that operates the facility.
The State of Illinois Department of Veterans' Affairs operates four veterans' homes, each of which receives significant federal funding. Unionized workers at the three other stateoperated veterans' homes in Illinois have health insurance and pensions. Certified Nursing Assistants, who make up nearly twothirds of the employees in the homes, are paid $9.60 per hour in the three facilities where the workers have a union. At the Anna home, the only one in the state run by a private contractor at taxpayers' expense, ServiceMaster pays CNAs only $4.67 per hour with no health or pension benefits.
As a result of ServiceMaster's refusal to bargain in good faith, the Anna workers voted unanimously to strike on Saturday, August 10, 1996. In response, ServiceMaster has announced its plans to hire permanent replacements for the strikers.
The AFL-CIO Executive Council condemns the refusal of ServiceMaster to bargain in good faith with the workers at the Anna veterans' home. We call on the State of Illinois to take steps immediately to bring about a fair settlement with these workers, and, if ServiceMaster refuses to bargain, to cancel its contract with the company. Further, we will call on the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to remove the residents from this facility and cease to provide any further financial subsidies to ServiceMaster so long as it continues to employ strikebreakers.