Discrimination Chicago style

A Chicago area owner of a lakefront mansion tried to save 80k on his property taxes by turning his racketball court into a chapel for his disabled wife and daughter, and claiming the home was an exempt church. (There is a picture of the "church"). Initially he qualified for the exemption. (He also became ordained on line.) So far its creative, and you almost pull for the taxpayer. But after the locals sued to reverse the Illinois Department of revenue's granting the exemption, said taxpayer sued claiming the locals only wanted Anglo-Saxon whites living there. The taxpayer is Armenian. Village attorney says the "accusations have no merit."

Strike enters 7th year

Workers at Chicago's Congress Hotel have been on strike for seven years with no end in sight. Workers were told in 2003, there would be no raises until 2010. The employer has not budged on its wage proposal during the 7 year strike. Members of UNITE HERE gathered with local politicians and clergy to "celebrate the anniversary with speechifying and solidarity. Details here and here. We have previously posted about the injunction the hotel sought against the City to prevent the City from interfering in the labor dispute.

Chicago enjoined over private labor dispute

A federal court in Chicago has found the City of Chicago and one of its Alderman violated the National Labor Relations Act by conditioning the permitting of a sidewalk cafe on the hotel employer resolving a lengthy strike in favor of a union. This case shows the risk associated when public officials interject themselves into labor disputes. The court relied upon Golden State Transit Corp. v. City of L.A, 475 U.S. 608, 619 (1986) (stating that conditioning the receipt of government benefits on an employer’s settlement of a labor dispute impermissibly intrudes into the collective-bargaining process and interferes with the policy underlying the NLRA). Our previous post on public officials enjoined for their involvement in an employers union free campaign is posted here.

Small SEIU victory

Chicago SEIU Local 73 battles back against increased workload goals. Seems the patient intake staff were expected to increase their patient intake from 5 to 8 an hour. Believing the increase in productivity was a basis for cost reductions and job elimination, the union turned its attention to "quality" thereby reducing the average intake from 5 to 3 an hour. There is no specification of the type of problem inherent in admitting 5 patients an hour that may be eliminated by admitting only 3 persons an hour. The union spokesperson provides no discussion of what quality improvement is expected from taking more time to admit those in need of hospitalization. Of course there must be real benefit or otherwise the productivity reduction might be seen as an unlawful work slowdown.