Locked-out Teamster funeral directors rally against SCI

<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container tr_bq" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicesykDY94VxvRPpNuPIpEfr8ZqIPLtLkagloJKOddTZnnGOs78F333Gr8T6Ry9U7RZ7OLnmQ_ssBQmR4gOhwMZJCF7Dn-pCYVyawlP3JqH3HEzDrk6a7ZFHqGZdzuukrqBKF5YrtE6vSm/s1600/SCI+lockout+Teamsters.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicesykDY94VxvRPpNuPIpEfr8ZqIPLtLkagloJKOddTZnnGOs78F333Gr8T6Ry9U7RZ7OLnmQ_ssBQmR4gOhwMZJCF7Dn-pCYVyawlP3JqH3HEzDrk6a7ZFHqGZdzuukrqBKF5YrtE6vSm/s400/SCI+lockout+Teamsters.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Funeral home workers rally on 100th day of lockout.</td></tr></tbody></table>Locked-out <a href="http://teamster.org/" rel="nofollow">Teamster</a> funeral home employees marked their 100th day on the picket line with a rally before a Chicago-area funeral home yesterday. The rally was attended by political, religious and labor leaders who support the Teamsters' fight to preserve health care and retirement benefits. Their employer, funeral giant <a href="http://teamsternation.blogspot.com/2013/09/NLRB-rules-against-SCI.html" rel="nofollow">Service Corporation International</a>, wants to strip those away. <br /><br />SCI locked out 59 funeral directors and drivers from 16 of the 59 funeral homes it owns in the Chicago area. As Teamster Angela Anello explained to <a href="http://www.insideonline.com/" rel="nofollow">Inside Booster</a>:<br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">All we are asking for are salaries and benefits that are commensurate with those at the other funeral homes in the Chicago areas.... </blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq">(We) agreed to a pay cut. The next deal, we took a pay freeze for three years. Now, they want to tout a generous pay increase but also decrease our benefits. </blockquote><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlKnZ1wt7Ng27GwFXlF9BY6gB2HJwRgpgnTG0LiSOX2UQAFUILqSzrIlcNiiFHrFYYuS4FubR7rGq2SE2b60DwEbFrTZXH3uo31XC-PZauMiTUDfd2Km02sI5NcwQs3CzwD21_dS-zKk0q/s1600/SCI+Coli.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlKnZ1wt7Ng27GwFXlF9BY6gB2HJwRgpgnTG0LiSOX2UQAFUILqSzrIlcNiiFHrFYYuS4FubR7rGq2SE2b60DwEbFrTZXH3uo31XC-PZauMiTUDfd2Km02sI5NcwQs3CzwD21_dS-zKk0q/s320/SCI+Coli.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">John T. Coli.</td></tr></tbody></table>The event featured guest speakers, including Teamsters Joint Council 25 President John T. Coli, state Sen. Bill Cunningham, state Rep. Kelly Burke, Chicago Fire Department chaplain Fr. Thomas Mulcrone, state Sen. Tom Cullerton, Teamsters Central Region Vice President Becky Strzechowski and Chicago Alderman Nick Sposato.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.teamsterslocal727.org/news/news_2013/100913_Funeral_SCIRallyMediaAdvisory.html" rel="nofollow">Teamsters Local 727</a>, which represents the workers, explains:<br /><blockquote>With more than 1,400 funeral facilities, SCI is valued at approximately $4 billion and has seen its stock price rise 94 percent in just two years. </blockquote><blockquote>Local 727 urges all Chicago-area residents to support community-owned funeral homes. Recommended funeral home alternatives can be found at www.IntegrityInIllinois.com.</blockquote>Anello said SCI's business model relies on the local funeral directors, who are part of the community:<br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6E4QjGpQgwBMY3MxhvOEllf1d9_H8sM95KnjPffhI4T_NFrKVc13lNiJF3NHHyZpz1pz87Cv-E2ViTM4LJONyRVQPjmGqmT6IhW9eqMHhuXLPsMzuTrSRlxhcU5pDnKdFeVyO6L6ttLCh/s1600/sci+Becky.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6E4QjGpQgwBMY3MxhvOEllf1d9_H8sM95KnjPffhI4T_NFrKVc13lNiJF3NHHyZpz1pz87Cv-E2ViTM4LJONyRVQPjmGqmT6IhW9eqMHhuXLPsMzuTrSRlxhcU5pDnKdFeVyO6L6ttLCh/s320/sci+Becky.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Becky Strzechowski</td></tr></tbody></table><blockquote>We know the families. We pride ourselves on following up on all the details for the families we serve. We also have strong relationships with all the area churches and clergy... </blockquote><blockquote>The replacements are not from here. They don't even know the simple things such as how to get from point A to point B.... </blockquote><blockquote>While our work is physically demanding and we work very long hours, it's very rewarding work. We all do it because we want to. Our job is to ease the transition from life to death and to make it easier to bear. There are hundreds of details to get it right. Hiring scabs is like turning this into a factory.</blockquote>

Chicago funeral directors lockout SCI Locked-out Teamster funeral directors rally against SCI

Funeral home workers rally on 100th day of lockout. Locked-out Teamster funeral home employees marked their 100th day on the picket line wi...

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Labor board: Funeral giant SCI broke the law in dispute with Teamsters

Unscrupulous funeral giant SCI broke the law by bad faith bargaining with Teamster employees, threatening them, spying on them and trying to trick members into leaving the union, according to the Chicago region of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB).<br /><br />The NLRB has also dismissed frivolous and potentially defamatory accusations made by the company against the union.<br /><br /><a href="http://teamsternation.blogspot.com/2013/08/funeral-directors-locked-out.html" rel="nofollow">Service Corporation International (SCI) locked out 59 funeral directors and drivers</a> at 16 Chicago-area funeral homes last month.<br /><br />John T. Coli, secretary-treasurer of Teamsters Local 727, said:<br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">... the company has been merely grasping at straws, trying to shift the blame on the union with their false accusations. In reality, they are the ones violating the law and mistreating their dedicated employees. </blockquote>According to <a href="http://www.teamster.org/content/funeral-industry-giant-sci-committed-unfair-labor-practices-labor-board-says" rel="nofollow">Teamsters Local 727's press statement</a>,<br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">SCI’s numerous unfair labor practices forced the union-represented funeral workers to strike on July 2. Despite an unconditional offer by the union to return to work, the company locked out workers on Aug. 19. Pickets have continued to protest SCI’s bad faith bargaining and other unfair labor practices. </blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq">The Region of the NLRB now will attempt to reach a settlement with SCI on the charges. Absent settlement, the Region typically issues a complaint, and a hearing in front of an administrative law judge then takes place. </blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq">“Our fight is not over, but this is a victory for working men and women,” Coli said. </blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq">Local 727 urges all Chicago-area residents to support community-owned funeral homes as labor actions continue. More than 60 recommended funeral home alternatives can be found online at <a href="http://www.integrityinillinois.com/">www.IntegrityInIllinois.com</a> to aid families in affected communities.</blockquote>We know you still have a ways to go, but congratulations on a hard-fought victory!<br /><br /><div><br /></div>

Chicago funeral directors SCI Labor board: Funeral giant SCI broke the law in dispute with Teamsters

Unscrupulous funeral giant SCI broke the law by bad faith bargaining with Teamster employees, threatening them, spying on them and trying to...

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Why the Teamsters charged a funeral giant with lawbreaking

No one should be surprised that funeral giant SCI would lie and break federal laws during contract talks. SCI has in the past hired gun-toting goons to spy on its workers during negotiations.<br /><br />The $3.8 billion company buys neighborhood funeral homes, siphons money from the community and tries to impoverish its workers.<br /><br />SCI is currently in contract negotiations with Chicago-area funeral directors and drivers who are members of <a href="http://www.teamsterslocal727.org/">Local 727</a>. The Houston-based corporation is demanding the workers agree to elimination of their pension, increased health care costs and a wage freeze for new hires. And it's not as if the company is hurting. Its stock went up 56 percent in the last year.<br /><br />SCI is also lying to the employees and negotiators. That's against the law. The <a href="http://www.teamster.org/content/unfair-labor-practice-charges-filed-against-funeral-giant-sci">press release</a> from Local 727 explains:<br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">On or about June 24 and 25, in violation of the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA), SCI engaged in bad faith bargaining with the union by making unlawful omissions and misrepresentations in memos issued to its employees and negotiators.  Additionally, SCI issued memos that contained implied threats to interfere with employees’ current benefits in violation of section 8(a)(1) of the NLRA.</blockquote>The funeral directors are asking the public for support. (You can help by signing this online petition <a href="http://www.integrityinillinois.com/online-petition.html">here</a>.)<br /><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_xLJFXbdJS7zZHEdek8rtuK4FWFE1rWs97R7yMCTu9HSzc7AhlCSFWMVQNLVbJ7Mb9W-PyMoPq932zMPYcJ34EIpUIGuoZZofLqZ5tliUOurJD6l0SdPTPJ6aJ9tTzADa4bG9OiQCsqqK/s1600/funeral+directors.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_xLJFXbdJS7zZHEdek8rtuK4FWFE1rWs97R7yMCTu9HSzc7AhlCSFWMVQNLVbJ7Mb9W-PyMoPq932zMPYcJ34EIpUIGuoZZofLqZ5tliUOurJD6l0SdPTPJ6aJ9tTzADa4bG9OiQCsqqK/s320/funeral+directors.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Teamster funeral directors rally for fairness</td></tr></tbody></table>Local 727 placed an ad in the <a href="http://www.chicagotribune.com/">Chicago Tribune</a> and tried to place the same one in the Chicago Sun-Times. But the Sun-Times refused to carry it. <a href="http://www.teamster.org/content/sun-times-refuses-union-advertising">John T. Coli, secretary-treasurer of the Local, said</a>.<br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">The Sun-Times obviously does not want to offend a consistent revenue source. It’s ironic that a  newspaper that makes its money off the First Amendment would do this.</blockquote>Here's the ad, which warns of a labor dispute:<br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">We, the undersigned funeral directors and drivers, are proud to be able to assist grieving families in their greatest time of need, and we have dedicated our lives and careers to this important service. </blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq">Over the last seven years, we have made sacrifices — including wage cuts and freezes — in order to help SCI. Now, the company wants to eliminate our pensions and slash our benefits. Their shameful actions could force us out on strike and cause further harm to the Chicago community...</blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTOsefVB6EeVUsVxxYdmWsuduEwgRru_iboOjTJSwpTAsJgKUERuJ4Czn7274x1OKLb_xfzZ46EXjqBu2JE1AIJo-h1tXVZmIMhF1GSAbEfEQ21LmcUTiJ96A3LOC0tJ_IsA-gOe9NEN1W/s240/SCI.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTOsefVB6EeVUsVxxYdmWsuduEwgRru_iboOjTJSwpTAsJgKUERuJ4Czn7274x1OKLb_xfzZ46EXjqBu2JE1AIJo-h1tXVZmIMhF1GSAbEfEQ21LmcUTiJ96A3LOC0tJ_IsA-gOe9NEN1W/s240/SCI.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">These walls hide real nasty behavior</td></tr></tbody></table></blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq">As funeral directors and drivers, we are not nameless, faceless workers; we are licensed professionals who have spent years fostering strong relationships with the families we serve. SCI needs to know they cannot treat us this way. </blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq">In the event of a labor dispute, please visit IntegrityInIllinois.com or call (312) 206-4123 to be directed to alternative funeral facilities.</blockquote>About the guns:  Six years ago, the Teamster funeral directors were caucusing in a South Side hotel room between negotiating sessions with SCI. A female Teamster negotiator left the room and returned to find a large man who was clearly carrying a gun listening at the door. He tried to intimidate her, but she brushed past him. Funeral directors fanned out across the hotel grounds and identified several more armed goons. The Teamsters immediately filed unfair labor practice charges with the <a href="http://www.nlrb.gov/">National Labor Relations Board</a>.<br /><br />For more information, go to <a href="http://www.integrityinillinois.com/">www.integrityinillinois.com</a>.

funeral directors negotiations SCI Why the Teamsters charged a funeral giant with lawbreaking

No one should be surprised that funeral giant SCI would lie and break federal laws during contract talks. SCI has in the past hired gun-toti...

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