CHICAGO, June 24 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Contract talks are at a standstill between Teamsters Local 727 employees of Alderwoods Group Inc. funeral homes in the Chicago area and the employer.
The company's parent, Houston-based Service Corporation International , is demanding dramatic concessions, including a 20 percent pay cut for funeral directors and chauffeurs. The company reported healthy profits and strong revenue growth in the past year.
The contract between the Teamsters and SCI expires on June 30 at midnight.
"SCI clearly doesn't want to continue a working relationship with us," John Coli, secretary-treasurer of Teamsters Local 727, said on Tuesday. "We feel betrayed and distressed. To demand a 20 percent wage cut and major concessions is unconscionable in this environment."
Coli said he questions whether SCI is negotiating in good faith.
"They waste our time with continuous foot-dragging," Coli said. "They won't respond to our repeated requests for information.
"They are attacking the dignity and the livelihoods of respected members of the local community," Coli said. "We hope to avoid a labor dispute, but we're not optimistic."
The homes are: Mt. Auburn in Stickney, Oehlers Arlington Heights, Oehlers Des Plaines, Weinstein-Devon in Chicago, Weinstein-Wilmette and Zefran in Chicago.
Founded in 1903, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters represents 1.4 million hardworking men and women in the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico.
