Hundreds of workers at Howard Brown Health prepare to strike Nov. 14 and 15

After months of negotiation, employees with Howard Brown Health represented by the union are planning to hit the picket lines for a two-day strike, Nov. 14-15.

Some of Howard Brown Health Workers United’s demands include raising the minimum hourly wage of $21 from $16.07, affordable health insurance, rights for the union to be at the table for decision-making, layoff protections and notices, overtime pay for shifts longer than eight hours, remote work options and negotiations before the changes of job duties. Of those in the union who voted, 96% voted to strike.

Organizers said multiple factors led to the strike announcement, but at a bargaining session on Nov. 2, little movement was made on Howard Brown’s end, said Ronnie Peterson, an organizer with the Illinois Nurses Association.

“The only thing that they listen to is going to be a strike announcement,” they said.

The last straw for many employees was changing appointment length from 40 to 20 minutes, which “affects patient care,” said Peterson.

Howard Brown Health serves nearly 30,000 primary care patients, according to its 2021 annual report.

“We are disappointed that the Illinois Nurses Association (INA) made this decision on Nov. 2, the day before we revisited negotiations with a third-party mediator from the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service,” said Katie Metos, vice president of external relations at Howard Brown Health, in a statement.

“The Howard Brown Workers United membership has grown tired. They are very frustrated in leadership,” said Desiree Valdez, a patient access specialist and member of the union. 

Howard Brown has brought proposals, including a new minimum wage of $19.23 for retail employees, a 5.4% increase for base wages this year, a $1,200 contract signing bonus and expanded benefits for part-time staff, including two weeks paid leave for gender-affirming care, one new holiday and three to five weeks vacation, a spokesperson said in a statement.

“We remain optimistic that we can reach a contract before the strike, which would negatively impact services to patients and our community members, who are our top priority,” said David Ernesto Munar, president and CEO.

The company will “implement a contingency plan that ensures patient appointments are fulfilled or rescheduled as soon as possible, while also following all labor regulations.”

Valdez said she and others in the union are hoping to reach an agreement with Howard Brown in the 10 days before the strike. The union and Howard Brown are set to meet Nov. 7 and 8 with a federal mediator.

This planned strike is in response to alleged unfair labor practices, including unilateral changes or changes to job duties and working conditions without bargaining with the union, that Howard Brown has been implementing, Valdez said.

Beyond work conditions, Valdez said the fight for equitable wages and affordable health insurance is personal. Valdez, who said she can’t afford health care coverage through Howard Brown but also no longer qualifies for Medicaid, has to choose between paying rent and living expenses and not having health insurance. 

“It is really ironic, working at a health care organization, that I don’t have the ability to access the resources that they actually provide,” she said.

The union has negotiated for improved pay “for workers at the bottom” and “people who are paid the lowest,” Peterson said. This include demands for equitable treatment and compensation between workers on the north and south side.

In the last nine months of negotiations, the union has seen slow movement, Peterson said, which has driven workers to the strike.

This is the second strike by unionized workers at the LGBTQ+ focused Chicago health care facilities this year. In January, workers held a three-day strike, during which 440 workers protested the organization’s decision to lay off 61 union workers in the midst of contract negotiations. 

These layoffs, which the union filed a claim regarding with the National Labor Relations Board, were found to have merit or partial merit. As a result, all 61 workers were offered their positions back, with 24 taking the offer.

Since the layoffs in 2022, Peterson alleges, workers have continued to see unjust termination, including for workers heavily involved in the union.

The union has around 366 members and includes nurse practitioners, physicians assistants, case managers and Brown Elephant employees and organizers are expecting to see everyone on the picket lines, Peterson said.

There will be two informational picket lines, Saturday and Sunday, at 5404 N. Clark St. at the Brown Elephant in Andersonville.

The locations for the strike are 4025 N. Sheridan Rd., 3501 N. Halsted St. and 641 W. 63rd St. on Nov. 14 and 15. The union will hold a rally at 6 p.m. Nov. 15 at Howard Brown’s Halsted clinic.