Teamsters: Chicagoland Religious Leaders Call On Dignity Memorial To Resume Good Faith Negotiations

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Jul 18, 2013, 04:05 ET

Chicago Fire Department Chaplain Thomas Mulcrone and Area Clergy Ask Houston-based Funeral Giant to Negotiate with Local Funeral Directors

CHICAGO, July 18, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Rev. Thomas Mulcrone, Chaplain of the Chicago Fire Department, Metropolitan Iakovos and Bishop Demetrios of Mokissos of the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Chicago and Bishop Timothy Lyne and Rev. John Boivin of Chicago's Holy Name Cathedral have joined 46 other area clergy to call upon Service Corporation International (NYSE: SCI) to resume negotiations with striking funeral directors and drivers.

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"The religious community across the Chicagoland area is calling on SCI now to negotiate a fair contract with its funeral directors and drivers," their appeal stated. "Do not tear apart the fabric of our neighborhoods and the pride of Chicago's funeral homes by continuing to engage in anti-worker, anti-labor practices. On behalf of parishioners across Chicago and northern Illinois, the religious community urges SCI to treat its employees with the same level of integrity that SCI expects workers to demonstrate to grieving families."

These 51 members of the clergy joined 40 additional religious leaders who signed a similar appeal by ARISE Chicago on June 28.

SCI, which uses the Dignity Memorial brand name, operates 16 funeral homes with 59 employees in the Chicagoland area. The company forced its workers out on an unfair labor practice strike more than two weeks ago. Strikers have been picketing at Dignity locations since July 2.

"I never imagined that we'd have been pushed to this point, but we're doing what's right and what needs to be done. We're all local neighborhood people, highly experienced and known in our communities. We want to get back to doing what we do best, to take care of our client families," said Vincent Giff, a 24-year funeral director at Blake-Lamb Funeral Home in Oak Lawn.

The 51 religious leaders who signed the new appeal included:

Bishop Demetrios of Mokissos Chancellor, Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Chicago	Rev. Monsignor James T. Kaczorowski Queen of Angels Catholic Church, Chicago, IL

Metropolitan Iakovos Presiding Hierarch, Greek Orthodox Metropolis	Rev. Joseph A. Mulcrone Catholic Office of the Deaf, Chicago, IL

Rev. Thomas Mulcrone Chicago Fire Department	Rev. Timothy Fiaia St. Domitilla Parish, Hillside, IL

Bishop Timothy Lyne Holy Name Cathedral, Chicago, IL	Rev. Joseph E. Millshi Westchester Community Church, Westchester, IL

Rev. John P. Boivin Holy Name Cathedral, Chicago, IL	Rev. Martin E. Michniewicz St. Alexander Roman Catholic Church, Palos Hts., IL

Rev. Wayne Svida Our Lady of the Ridge Church, Chicago Ridge, IL	Associate Pastor Joseph Mol St. Jane de Chantal Church, Chicago, IL

Rev. Frank Latzko St. Teresa of Avila Catholic Church, Chicago, IL	Rev. William A. Eddy St. Hilary Church, Chicago, IL

Rev. Michael J. Furlan St. Germaine Catholic Church, Oak Lawn, IL	Rev. Thomas J. Hurley Old St. Patrick's Church, Chicago, IL

Fr. Thomas R. McCarthy St. Rita of Cascia High School, Chicago, IL	Pastor Patrick Cecil St. Mary of the Woods, Chicago, IL

Rev. Harold Stanger St. Marcelline Church, Schaumburg, IL	Rev. Thomas Winikates Divine Infant Church, Westchester, IL

Rev. William T. Corcoran St. Elizabeth Seton Parish, Orland Hills, IL	Rev. Darrio Boscutti St. Cyprian Church, River Grove, IL

Rev. Jonathan B. Krogh Evergreen Park Ministry, Evergreen Park, IL	Associate Pastor Judith Watt Fourth Presbyterian Church, Chicago, IL

Rev. David L. Haley Central United Methodist Church, Skokie, IL	Parish Administrator Jose F. Zuleta Transfiguration of Our Lord, Chicago, IL

Rev. Patrick J. O'Neill St. Alexander, Palos Heights, IL	Pastor Erik S. Weber St. Timothy's Lutheran Church, Skokie, IL

Fr. Kevin McCray Queen of Martyrs Parish, Evergreen Park, IL	Gale Voytas St. Daniel the Prophet, Chicago, IL

Fr. Edward Mikolajczyk Queen of Martyrs Parish, Evergreen Park, IL	Alice Dusek St. Daniel the Prophet, Chicago, IL

Deacon Joel W. Chrastka St. Leonard Parish, Berwyn, IL	Deacon Richard Voytas St. Daniel the Prophet, Chicago, IL

Rev. Lawrence Dowling St. Agatha Parish, Chicago, IL	Father Greg Rom Pastor, St. Felicitas, Chicago, IL

Rev. Richard LoBianco Divine Savior Church, Norridge, IL	Joyce D. Morrison Senior Clerk, St. John Vianney, Northlake, IL

Rev. Louis Tylka Jr. Mater Christi Church, North Riverside, IL	Ruth Knipper Queen of Martyrs Parish, Evergreen Park, IL

Rev. Frank A. Kurucz St. Cajetan Parish, Chicago, IL	Sonia Villalpando Our Lady of the Snows, Chicago, IL

Kathleen Kidder Wedding and Funeral Coordinator, Fourth Presbyterian Church, Chicago, IL	James Griffith St. Christina Catholic School, Chicago, IL

Bishop Valentin Lorejo, Jr. Diocese of Eastern United States and Eastern Canada, Philippine Independent Church, Chicago, IL	Eva Bustamante Coordinator, Ministry of Consolation, Chicago, IL

Father Byron Papanikolaou Protopresbyter Emeritus, Sts. Constantine and Helen Greek Orthodox Church, Palos Hills, IL	Father Gene F. Smith Associate Pastor, St. Linus Parish, Oak Lawn, IL

Chaplain Raymond Tillrock Palos Community Hospital, Palos Heights, IL	Rev. Mark Walter St. Linus Parish, Oak Lawn, IL

	Pastor Charles Bolser St. Viator Parish, Chicago, IL

Teamster-represented funeral directors established a website (www.integrityinillinois.com) and hotline (312-206-4123) to direct families to community-friendly funeral homes not affected by the labor action. A complete list of affected homes is available at the site.

Since the strike began, Dignity Memorial has not contacted Teamsters Local 727 to resume negotiations.

Teamsters Local 727 has represented Chicago's funeral directors and embalmers since 1946, and it represents more than 6,800 hardworking men and women in the greater Chicagoland area.

SOURCE Teamsters Local 727