For 36 hours straight, hundreds of Resurrection employees and their supporters held a spirited vigil outside of Resurrection's headquarters on September 25 and 26 to urge Resurrection's management to end its aggressive anti-union campaign and follow new guidelines for fair union organizing recently released by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.
"We have been trying to form a union because we want a voice on the job and to improve the quality of care the hospitals provide," said Kelly Beringer, RN, West Suburban Medical Center. "But because of Resurrection management's actions, many workers are afraid to say anything in support of a union. Using these new guidelines, we hope Resurrection will dialogue with AFSCME to develop a fair process for us to decide whether to form a union."
Hundreds of community members and religious leaders attended the vigil in support of the workers. Every hour, vigil attendees came together to listen to a Resurrection worker explain why they need a union and listen to a prayer from a religious leader. Dozens of religious leaders from a variety of faiths led prayers for Resurrection management to adopt the new guidelines put forth by the Bishops' Conference.
In addition to community members and religious leaders, AFSCME members from locals throughout the Chicago area and from as far away as Dixon and Springfield came out to support the Resurrection Workers.