Two weeks after voting to authorize a strike, Chicago Park District union workers will vote to ratify a new five-year contract tentatively agreed to with the city.
The agreement was announced late Tuesday by Service Employees International Union Local 73, which represents more than 2,200 park district workers. Negotiations had been ongoing for nine months.
In-person voting will likely begin in the next week or two and take place in multiple locations throughout the park district, a spokesperson for the union said in a statement. The process will take multiple days to ensure each member has a chance to vote.
Union workers had sought competitive pay increases and rewards for longevity necessary to reverse a declining workforce.
The union said in a statement that the contract includes wages “that would improve recruitment and retention.”
The new contract includes a 6% wage increase this year followed by 4% increases each consecutive year until 2027, union leaders said in an email to members. It also includes a $20 hourly minimum wage for year-round park positions and expanded health insurance access. The current minimum wage for union park district workers differs for each position, but the lowest starting pay begins at $16.24 an hour for a recreational leader and $16.77 an hour for a lifeguard, a SEIU Local 73 spokesperson said.
SEIU Local 73 President Dian Palmer credited Mayor Brandon Johnson as playing an “instrumental role” in facilitating the agreement. Union members and supporters petitioned the mayor to intervene with negotiations while rallying outside City Hall last month.
“The employees of SEIU Local 73 make up the majority of the District’s dedicated workforce,” the Chicago Park District said in a statement. “Their professional duties are essential to maintaining our parks and supporting children and families in every neighborhood of the city. We are grateful to have arrived at a package that provides benefits that are in the best interest of our workforce, the District and the children and families we serve.”
