* UFCW Local 881…
As Illinois and the nation enters the first week of unprecedented shutdowns of government and private business, the hardworking members of Local 881 United Food and Commercial Workers remain on the front lines of the societal and economic crisis that COVID-19 presents.
Staffing hundreds of grocery stores and pharmacies across Illinois and Northwest Indiana, Local 881 UFCW members are providing a vital link to millions of families who need to access food, prescriptions, and household products that allow them to stay home safely and help flatten the curve. Local 881 UFCW members are putting in thousands of hours at risk to their own health, to ensure stores remain stocked and sanitized, and will remain on the leading edge of the state’s response to this health crisis.
Local 881 UFCW staff and leadership have been in constant communication with our employer partners, government officials at all levels, and our membership to advocate for member’s safety and rights during this time. We are particularly thankful to have strong and responsive leaders like Governor Pritzker, Mayor Lightfoot, and the members of our Congressional delegation who are approaching this crisis with the needs of working families first and foremost.
To that end, Local 881 UFCW President and International Vice President, Steve Powell, today released the following list of requests to local, state, and federal leadership in Illinois:
· Grocery, retail, and pharmacy Union members are staffing the front lines of this public health crisis. As we have witnessed the demand for food and supplies reach unprecedented levels, our hardworking men and women are working tirelessly to meet the needs of the Illinois citizens. I ask that Local 881 workers be designated as first responders and be recognized as the essential workers they are in the midst of this crisis.
· In the event of local travel restrictions or curfews, I request that Local 881 members be given permission and protection in order to safely commute to and from their work locations in order to perform their essential jobs by showing proof of employment or their Union membership card.
· In light of the recent guidelines limiting gathering and event sizes, I ask you to provide a more comprehensive plan that protects our workers and community within stores by providing crowd control measures or specific limits to the number of people allowed in stores at any given time. We continue to call on our employers to provide protective measures and supplies to all members who are working in the stores, particularly those in the check-outs, who are coming into contact with hundreds of customers in an average shift.
· We are calling on the Illinois Congressional delegation to do the right thing by amending the Families First Coronavirus Response Act to recognize our country’s grocery, retail, and food processing workers as first responders. We ask that they use the federal relief legislation to guarantee that all of these workers receive at least two weeks of paid leave. This will ensure that our members can continue to serve their communities without having to choose between their health and their paycheck.
* Rosemary Sobol and Alice Yin at the Tribune…
Chicago Public Library will close most but not all of its locations, drawing the ire of the union representing municipal employees who demanded all libraries be closed.
CPL made the announcement Wednesday night, saying they were making the reductions in 61 locations to ensure the health and safety of residents. Twenty libraries, including Harold Washington Library, will remain open. The closures will begin at the end of Saturday, March 21.
“Chicago libraries serve as social safety nets for our communities – where our young people become lifelong learners and technology centers connect our residents to the world,” Mayor Lori E. Lightfoot said in the statement. “Although some libraries will close to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, we know residents and neighborhoods will continue to need access to the resources they provide.”
* AFSCME Council 31…
This afternoon, the union was informed that the city intends to keep 20 library branches open despite the coronavirus pandemic and has directed “all full-time direct public service staff” to continue to report to work. AFSCME Council 31 Executive Director Roberta Lynch issued this statement in response:
“Our union recognizes the vital role that our city’s public libraries play in educating children, expanding knowledge and building community connections. But those valuable collective assets must be balanced against the urgent need to protect the health and well-being of library patrons and employees and help contain the spread of the coronavirus.
“Libraries are highly social venues which by their very nature contravene the directives for social distancing that have come from every reputable public health authority. The benefits of keeping even a reduced number of libraries open cannot justify the risks involved at a time when both the governor and mayor have stressed the urgency of preventing community transmission to slow this pandemic. The American Library Association has called for nationwide closures and countless cities have complied.
“The heart and soul of our libraries are the staff who welcome, assist and uplift patrons of every age and background every day. CPL will not be able to fulfill its mission if those employees are fearful and feeling abandoned by those who should be concerned with their well-being.
“AFSCME is calling for all CPL branches to be closed to the public. At the same time, we stand ready to work with the Administration to expand electronic access to library resources, staff and programs during this crisis.”
Thoughts?
- Not Surprised - Thursday, Mar 19, 20 @ 9:58 am:
Wow, IL AFSCME is such a shamelessly selfish political actor.
- JoanP - Thursday, Mar 19, 20 @ 10:02 am:
I say this as someone who generally has multiple books checked out and a few more on hold.
Close the libraries. Other cities, such as San Francisco, New York, and Cleveland, have closed them completely.
If it’s unsafe for young people to gather in schools, it’s unsafe for them to gather in libraries.
The CPL’s announcement talks about providing “safe, welcoming spaces”. Why is the city *encouraging* people to gather? Sadly, our “social safety net” these days is separation, not togetherness.
- Cubs in '16 - Thursday, Mar 19, 20 @ 10:11 am:
Closing libraries for a couple of weeks won’t endanger lives unlike closing pharmacies and grocery stores.
- Arock - Thursday, Mar 19, 20 @ 10:11 am:
No comparison, one is providing a necessity at this time, the other although a need is not a necessity during this pandemic.
- Fixer - Thursday, Mar 19, 20 @ 10:14 am:
I’m not sure how you’re claiming they’re “selfish political actor”s by this statement, Not Surprised. Last I checked, politicians from both sides are calling for closures of things like this. Don’t let your rhetoric get in the way of reason.
- Captain Who - Thursday, Mar 19, 20 @ 10:23 am:
i hope this isn’t a silly question, but with all that’s going on who would want to go to a library?
- Reality Check - Thursday, Mar 19, 20 @ 10:27 am:
American Library Association:
“Libraries are by design unable to practice social distancing to the degree recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other health authorities. Keeping libraries open at this time has the potential to harm communities more than help.”
http://www.ala.org/news/press-releases/2020/03/ala-executive-board-recommends-closing-libraries-public
- Yellow Dog Democrat - Thursday, Mar 19, 20 @ 10:31 am:
Both unions are right.
Groceries are vital, they must remain open.
Libraries can and should have e-books available online, CHicago can open up unlimited access to online books with the flip of a switch.
There is no reason - none - for libraries to be open.
Every library staff person who leaves their home is a potential infection if not only themselves but their families. The employer health system will bear that financial cost, and the pr cost to the mayor when the first librarian gets sick will be catastrophic.
- Night Rider - Thursday, Mar 19, 20 @ 10:32 am:
Mayor Lightfoot should order the libraries closed.
- jimbo26 - Thursday, Mar 19, 20 @ 10:32 am:
Please use the drive-up at the pharmacy. My granddaughter is a pharmacist and I need you to help keep her safe so she can get your medicines ready for you or a family memeber tomorrow.
- Rich Miller - Thursday, Mar 19, 20 @ 10:33 am:
===CHicago can open up unlimited access to online books===
Doesn’t do kids without computers and/or internet access any good. CPS is handing out over 20,000 meals a day. Your suburban existence doesn’t apply.
- Roman - Thursday, Mar 19, 20 @ 10:35 am:
It’s pretty simple. The private sector UFCW workers won’t get paid if the grocery stores close. The public sector AFSCME workers will get paid even if the libraries shut. Hence, completely different stances on this.
- Candy Dogood - Thursday, Mar 19, 20 @ 10:36 am:
I think this is comparing apples to oranges.
Libraries are fantastic and important social resources capable of delivering important services to their communities and enhancing our overall quality of life.
Groceries are a necessity to live.
Go without a library for a couple of weeks and your life is a little less enriched.
Go without food for a couple of weeks and your life may be over.
===The closures will begin at the end of Saturday, March 21.===
This is already too late. The point was to reduce the rate of transmission which required immediate action.
This decision to wait a couple of days to allow more folks to incubate and become contagious and to allow more folks that are yet to develop symptoms spread it is a bad idea.
- A Jack - Thursday, Mar 19, 20 @ 10:48 am:
Public libraries also give homeless people a place to get out of the weather for a few hours.
- Leatherneck - Thursday, Mar 19, 20 @ 11:14 am:
- A Jack - Thursday, Mar 19, 20 @ 10:48 am:
Public libraries also give homeless people a place to get out of the weather for a few hours.
——————–
This is already leading to another aspect of the homeless issue in downtown Springfield, and how to best care for them. Due to the outbreak Lincoln Library (the city public library) is closed, where there are a lot of homeless that stay there during the day. Also, Washington Street Mission is closed, while St. John’s Breadline is only giving sack lunches. On top of that, the proposed service center for the homeless on 11th Street failed in City Council last fall. This has led a lot of the homeless to congregate at Helping Hands:
https://www.nprillinois.org/post/springfield-struggles-protect-people-who-are-homeless-amid-covid-19-spread
Sadly, I hope I’m wrong on this, but I would not be surprised if at least one of the coronavirus casualties in Illinois is someone who is homeless. Again, I hope I’m wrong. WUIS article is above.
- Jon - Thursday, Mar 19, 20 @ 11:28 am:
The same reason that any of the library branches should be closed is the same reason that all of them should be closed.
- Hippo - Thursday, Mar 19, 20 @ 11:28 am:
Let me guess. They want libraries to close but they still want librarians to be paid. Where’s the sacrifice in practice?
- pool boy - Thursday, Mar 19, 20 @ 11:33 am:
If you really want to flatten the curve, close the libraries. Wouldn’t they be restricted to 50 people or less anyway.
- Deep South - Thursday, Mar 19, 20 @ 12:17 pm:
AFSCME is calling for all CPL branches to be closed to the public. At the same time, we stand ready to work with the Administration to expand electronic access to library resources, staff and programs during this crisis.”
Interesting reply from AFSCME. DOC has denied virtually everyone from working from home, and are running near normal operations - yet they don’t have anything to say about that.
- Demoralized - Thursday, Mar 19, 20 @ 12:20 pm:
==DOC has denied virtually everyone from working from home==
Yeah, in the facilities they have. That’s kind of an essential function don’t you think? What would you suggest they do?
- Deep South - Thursday, Mar 19, 20 @ 12:27 pm:
Yeah, in the facilities they have. That’s kind of an essential function don’t you think? What would you suggest they do?
There are tons of non-security positions that do a bulk of their work on the computer. I suggest that make as many people telecommute as possible - ya know, like the Governor ordered.
- Undeterred - Thursday, Mar 19, 20 @ 12:34 pm:
Demoralized…containment, IDOC still has academic classes, Vocational classes, barber shop classes, drug/addiction group all led by civilian teachers and/or counselors. No containment, still allowed in dayroom, gym of exceeding 100, mass movement, etc. Just no visits and temps checking staff…
- Yellow Dog Democrat - Thursday, Mar 19, 20 @ 12:53 pm:
=== Your suburban existence doesn’t apply ===
From the Census Bureau:
86 percent of Chicago homes have a computer;
76 percent of Chicago homes have broadband internet access.
For those that don’t, mobile carriers can and should offer temprary, unlimited mobile wireless access, turing every cell phone into a hot spot for tablets.
Heck. when i was a kid our library had a Story Line number you could call, every week was a recording of a librarian reading a different book.
Where are the parents clamoring for keeping the libraries open?
- Thomas Paine - Thursday, Mar 19, 20 @ 1:16 pm:
Seattle libraries are closed until April 13.
New York Libraries closed on March 15 - March 31 “atleast”.
The parade, the schools, the bars…every step of the way along this pandemic, the Mayor and her public health office seem to be steeped in denial.
Deep denial.
- Huh? - Thursday, Mar 19, 20 @ 1:17 pm:
Why can’t libraries institute a curbside pick up program? Just like the restaurants. Call ahead, go on line order a book, and pick up by appointment.
- DuPage - Thursday, Mar 19, 20 @ 3:40 pm:
Early today at Jewel I saw an elderly lady cashier get coughed on by a customer who sounded very sick. If they are going to force them to work the registers, at least give them a mask.
- Say What? - Thursday, Mar 19, 20 @ 4:45 pm:
ASFCME’s status as the crazy Uncle of labor is firmly intact.
- Southern - Thursday, Mar 19, 20 @ 7:30 pm:
Demoralized…containment, IDOC still has academic classes, Vocational classes, barber shop classes, drug/addiction group all led by civilian teachers and/or counselors. No containment, still allowed in dayroom, gym of exceeding 100, mass movement, etc. Just no visits and temps checking staff…
That is exactly what is happening in DOC and DHS facilities. After the temperature check upon entry, it is business as usual. I’m not sure which is worse, J.B. making speeches and doing just the opposite in agencies under his control, or the Union not saying anything because the guy they wanted is in office.
- Cal Stone - Thursday, Mar 19, 20 @ 8:50 pm:
==After the temperature check upon entry, it is business as usual.==
Yes. However, the temperature at my facility is a joke. My reading today was 88.7. Each reading is ridiculously low and people taking the temperature just laugh. They would not know if anyone had a fever. From my perspective, the facility is still running school, library, counseling, etc. Plus, more guys are being admitted daily from parole violations and county jails. The guys coming in off the street are only isolated for 4 days. I have emailed my state senator (Andy Manar), but I have not heard anything yet. Fingers crossed that some sense begins to trickle down to my facility from Springfield. Oh, wait, the people in Springfield are all working from home.