Arlington Heights, Des Plaines funeral workers reach deal

A group of union funeral directors, embalmers and livery drivers at four suburban funeral homes, including one in Arlington Heights and another in Des Plaines, agreed to terms on a three-year contract late Tuesday averting a planned strike.

“In the end, we were able to keep good Chicago jobs and secure the livelihoods of these hardworking men and women for three more years,” said John Coli Jr., president of Teamsters Local 727, in a statement.

The union unanimously rejected a contract proposal on June 16 and again on July 5 when they voted to strike, but employees reported to work Tuesday before a last-minute deal was reached.

“I think the most important thing to focus on is we are set and ready and able to serve our customers and families,” said Service Corporation International spokeswoman Lisa Marshall. “We are very pleased we could come to an accord.”

The union members who had planned to strike are employed at four Alderwoods funeral homes: Lauterburg-Oehler Funeral Home in Arlington Heights, Oehler Funeral Home in Des Plaines, Weinstein Funeral Home in Wilmette, and Mount Auburn Funeral Home in Stickney.

Details of the new three-year deal were not available Tuesday night, but a sticking point during previous negotiations was an argument that SCI took away union health care coverage several years ago and replaced it with a company health care plan.

SCI said while wage freezes were part of the previous contract, the workers were awarded pay increases in March that weren't part of that original contract. SCI offered a new contract essentially with no changes, said spokeswoman Jessica McDunn.

The contract with industry Service Corp. International, which operates the homes and more than 1,800 others in North America, expired June 30. The union had filed unfair labor practice complaints against SCI, which maintained it had continued to negotiate in good faith before the deal was reached.

The Houston-based corporation is the largest provider of death-care products and services in North America, operating more than 1,800 funeral facilities.

Teamsters Local 727 represents more than 6,000 men and women throughout the Chicago area, including about 450 funeral industry workers.