Media Advisory: Press Conference on Thursday, April 19^th at Noon

Healthcare Workers From Across the City Say Hospital Lobbying Group Fails to Represent Interests of Safety Net Facilities in Communities of Color, Drives Down Wages and Ignores the Needs of the Primarily Female-led Workforce

CHICAGO–Hospital workers from throughout the city will call on the Illinois Health & Hospital Association (IHA) to stop paying poverty level wages to its frontline workforce. Many hospital workers make just above the minimum wage, despite the fact that these hospitals are pillars and economic drivers in their communities. Women of color occupy a large number of the jobs at hospitals in Black and Brown neighborhoods, which also exacerbates the level of poverty in households in these communities. The IHA, which represents the hospital industry, perpetuate this anti-worker approach through its corporate driven agenda that drives down wages and the IHA, through its CEOs, create a culture of fear and intimidation against workers who want to form a union. Loretto hospital is an example of IHA greed, which recently wanted to starve funding for this facility and drive more funding to already wealthy hospital systems. For too long the IHA has presented itself as a proponent of community healthcare through a valued workforce, when in fact, it been the opposite, workers argue.

What:

Press conference featuring hospital workers, political leaders and candidates.

When:

12 noon, Thursday, April 19^th, 2018

Where

Loretto Hospital, 645 S. Central Ave, Chicago, IL (rally at SE corner of Flournoy & Central Ave)

Who:

Greg Kelley, President of SEIU Healthcare Illinois/Indiana

Wellington Thomas, Emergency Tech, Loretto Hospital

Isabelle Plaire, Transport Worker, Ingalls Hospital

Deborah Sims, Commissioner for the 5th District of Cook County

Brandon Johnson, Democratic candidate for Cook County Board of Commissioners, 1st District

*Spanish language interviews available upon request.