Chicago has been variously called the Windy City, the City of Broad Shoulders, and even the Second City. But an emerging description might give nursing home operators a legitimate reason for concern: union-movement incubator.
For as the Chicago Tribune reported Friday, that toddlin’ town is experiencing a robust wave of union activity.
To be sure, the cited workplaces do not deliver eldercare services. They include Starbucks coffee shops, Amazon warehouses, tortilla factories, a John Deere plant and even the Art Institute.
But what should cause operators to take notice is their connecting fiber. In each case, employees unionized due to untenable working conditions.
Here’s a quote from Robert Bruno, director of the labor studies program at the University of Illinois:
“Because of the pandemic, and supply chains and labor shortages, the conditions structurally have now aligned with their level of grievance and raised consciousness,” Bruno said. “And [workers] feel — and they’re correct to feel this way — that they have more power.”
“They have more power” does not strike me as a Chicago-specific matter. Nor does this statistic also cited in the story: Union representation filings with the National Labor Relations Board were up 57% between October 2021 and the end of March.
So it’s probably safe to say that the new unionization wave attributed to Chicago just might be gaining traction elsewhere.
Now how far and wide that traction might go is anybody’s guess. Will workers in the long-term care field feel inclined to join in? Who knows? Probably more than a few will at least consider their options.
After all, if a coffee house or a warehouse is seen as a potentially dangerous place to work, it’s not much of a stretch to conclude a nursing home might be similarly, if not even more, qualified.
We’re hearing a lot in the news these days about Chicago’s high murder rate. Some of the criticism is valid, while other accusations are a pathetic attempt to deflect criticism.
Like all cities, Chicago can be dangerous. And as we’ve seen in recent weeks, so can any place with grocery stores, schools and even doctors’ offices.
But in a weird way, the scary news coming from Chicago might have little to do with teens who tote guns, and a lot to do with aides who assist residents.
John O’Connor is editorial director for McKnight’s.
The opinions expressed in McKnight’s Long-Term Care News columns are the author’s and are not necessarily those of McKnight’s.
