SCR Rally Story
Teamsters Local 727 filed for a Union Election at SCR Transportation LLC, a subsidiary of Beacon Mobility; Management responds with hostility and wasted city resources
Yesterday morning, Teamsters Local 727 filed a petition for a union election and simultaneously requested recognition as part of its organizing campaign with SCR Transportation LLC, a subsidiary of Beacon Mobility. A overwhelming majority of dispatch, customer service representatives, aides, routers, maintenance employees, vehicle cleaners, car washers, porters, utility workers, call center agents, schedulers, RMMC employees, and drivers at the company signed cards expressing their desire to join a union to seek improved pay, benefits and working conditions and to have Teamsters Local 727 be their bargaining representative. To announce and celebrate this huge milestone, representatives and members from the Union held a rally yesterday afternoon at the facility.
As SCR recently put out communications to their employees stating that they would remain neutral in the organizing campaign, and presumably respect their workers’ right to form and join a Union, representatives from local unions and labor organizations across the city tried to hand deliver two letters to management (see attached). One was a letter from Teamsters Local 727 Secretary-Treasurer John Coli, Jr, demanding that SCR voluntarily recognize the Union and come to the table to bargain. Similarly, the second letter was signed from over fifty religious leaders in the community asking that SCR respect their workers’ choice to organize and to end all anti-Union messaging, interference, and retaliation against their workers. As the Union has previously reported, SCR has recklessly spent money hiring an anti-Union consultant to disparage workers’ rights, instead of using that money to reward their hard-working, frontline essential workers.
Unfortunately, when the rally delegation approached the SCR office building entrances to enthusiastically deliver the letter, management hurriedly shut the blinds and locked all doors. Management not only refused to let Union officials in, but they also refused to provide an individual who would take possession of the letters. As a result copies of the letter were left at all entrances. Adding insult to injury, management called the police, accusing Union members and grassroot organizers of trespassing. While Union officials tried to explain that they were merely attempting to deliver a letter to SCR officials, an SCR security officer attempting to goad them while local management yelled “get off my property!”
“A peaceful and lawful demonstration of collective action and workers’ rights turned into corporate bullies misusing city resources and acts of hostility towards lawful union activity,” said John Coli, Jr, Teamsters Local 727 Secretary-Treasurer. “Almost 800 people died from gun violence in the city of Chicago last year, and the fact that SCR had 5 police cars with a dozen cops directed to their facility over their workers’ free and fair choice to form a Union is disgraceful. Truly, our goal was to unite in solidarity and hand deliver a letter to management asking them to come to the table and bargain for the dignity, respect, and the fair wages their workers deserve. SCR says on their website it stands for sensitive, caring, and responsive and what they displayed this afternoon was the exact opposite.”
“One thing is clear—our brothers and sisters at SCR need a Union more than ever. If they respond to a simple piece of paper asking for management to simply respect their workers’ rights to form a Union with that level of hostility, how must they be treating their employees? I truly hope SCR does the sensitive, caring and responsive thing and respects their workers’ right to organize and comes to the table to bargain.”
Teamsters Local 727 is committed to fighting for workplace justice and living wages for all workers. Paratransit employees provide essential services to the most vulnerable in our communities, and they deserve to be treated with dignity and respect. If you wish to join the organizing campaign at SCR or have questions, please contact the Union at (847) 696-7500.
Nothing in this article should be read as the union’s waiver of any legal argument, position or grievance(s), or as a waiver of any rights, arguments, or defenses under any contract, collective bargaining agreement, or applicable law. The union does not forfeit its right to make any and all supplemental arguments
Category: Union News
