Members Of Congress Join Mayor Emanuel, Gov. Quinn To Support Striking Funeral Directors

News provided by

Aug 02, 2013, 02:52 ET

Quigley, Schakowsky, Duckworth Call on Funeral Giant to Negotiate in Good Faith

CHICAGO, Aug. 2, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Three members of Congress have joined Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn, Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle and more than a dozen state legislators in support of striking Teamster-represented funeral directors.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20100127/IBTLOGO)

Over the last three weeks, Service Corporation International (NYSE: SCI) CEO Tom Ryan has received nearly 20 letters of support from political leaders seeking resolution to the Texas-based company's ongoing labor dispute with Teamsters Local 727. Just this week, SCI contacted the Teamsters to potentially resume negotiations, offering two meeting dates. Local 727 has accepted both days.

"The workers at these funeral homes serve the community and do it well," wrote Jan Schakowsky, U.S. Representative for Illinois' 9^th Congressional District, in a letter to SCI on July 22. "On behalf of the community I serve and the hardworking men and women employed by SCI, I urge you to come back to the table to engage in meaningful negotiations with the union and resolve these issues in a fair manner."

SCI forced the unfair labor practice strike after the Teamsters' contract expired on July 1, following more than 40 hours of negotiations. Throughout bargaining, SCI proposed approximately 40 regressive changes to the contract, including the elimination of the funeral directors' pension fund, increased costs to health care premiums and zero wage increases for new hires after years of wage freezes for current employees.

Pickets began one month ago on July 2 at 16 Chicago-area funeral homes, which SCI operates under the Dignity Memorial brand name. Since the $4 billion corporation walked away from negotiations, 59 Teamster funeral directors and drivers have been fighting for parity with other Chicago funeral industry professionals.

"It is my understanding that your funeral directors and drivers are seeking nothing more than parity with other Chicago-area funeral employees," wrote Cook County Board President Preckwinkle to SCI on July 26. "It is important to our entire community that these hardworking men and women are treated with respect."

As North America's largest corporate provider of death-care services, SCI commands approximately 13 percent of the market share in the funeral industry. Its stock has risen 56 percent in the last year alone.

"Teamsters Local 727 is grateful for the support of Illinois' political leaders, who are joining nearly 100 Chicagoland clergy and innumerable families across our state to call for an end to SCI's greed and intimidation," said John T. Coli, Secretary-Treasurer of Local 727. "SCI has spent more than a decade trying to bust unions in states nationwide. It's encouraging to know that even more support is rallying around the Teamsters to ensure working men and women in Illinois are not taken advantage of by this corporate bully."

Illinois politicians who have sent letters to SCI supporting the Teamsters include:

U.S. Representative Michael Quigley, 5^th District of Illinois
U.S. Representative Jan Schakowsky, 9^th District of Illinois
U.S. Representative Tammy Duckworth, 8^th District of Illinois
Gov. Pat Quinn, State of Illinois
Mayor Rahm Emanuel, City of Chicago
President Toni Preckwinkle, Cook County Board
Commissioner John Fritchey, 12^th District of Cook County
Commissioner Bridget Gainer, 10^th District of Cook County
Alderman Pat O'Connor, Chicago's 40^th Ward
Alderman Nick Sposato, Chicago's 36^th Ward
Senator Tom Cullerton, 23^rd District of Illinois
Senator John Mulroe, 10^th District of Illinois
Senator Kirk Dillard, 24^th District of Illinois
Senator Daniel Biss, 9^th District of Illinois
Senator Bill Cunningham, 18^th District of Illinois
Representative Laura Fine, 17^th District of Illinois
Representative Greg Harris, 13^th District of Illinois
Representative Kelly Burke, 36^th District of Illinois
Representative Daniel Burke, 1^st District of Illinois

Despite blatantly false claims by SCI, Teamsters are continuing to lawfully picket outside Dignity Memorial funeral homes throughout the Chicago area. Erroneous stories published by local and national media outlets have carried inaccurate reports made by SCI on the Teamsters' uninterrupted pickets.

Teamsters Local 727 has represented Chicago's funeral directors and embalmers since 1946, and it represents more than 6,800 hardworking men and women across Chicagoland.

SOURCE Teamsters Local 727