TO GIVE THE PUBLIC A NEW PERSPECTIVE ON THE LEAD ARTIST.

>>> MOUNT TO THE TOP STORY, A WTTW NEWS EXCLUSIVE, AFTER 11 DAYS, A DEAL HAS BEEN REACHED TO END THE STRIKE AT LORETTO HOSPITALS ACCORDING TO THE UNION PRESENTING STRIKE WORKERS.

JOINING US NOW FOR HIS FIRST INTERVIEW SINCE THE DEAL WAS STRUCK LESS THAN TWO HOURS AGO IS GREAT KELLY, PRESIDENT OF SI YOU HEALTHCARE ILLINOIS WHICH REPRESENTS THE WORKERS.

THANK YOU FOR JOINING.

>> THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME.

>> WHAT WE KNOW SO FAR ABOUT THIS A DEAL THAT HAS BEEN REACHED, WE UNDERSTAND IT INVOLVES INCREASES TO MINIMUM RATES FOR ALL TITLES ACROSS THE BOARD INCREASES, EUROPE'S SERVICE INCREASES AND A JUNETEENTH HOLIDAY.

WALK US THROUGH THE KEY ELEMENTS HERE.

WHAT DID IT TAKE TO GET HERE?

>> AS HE MENTIONED, TODAY WAS OUR 11th DAY ON STRIKE AND WE DID REACH AN AGREEMENT WITH LORETTO HOSPITAL, AND WE ARE REALLY PLEASED WITH THIS AGREEMENT, AS HE MENTIONED.

WE GOT RAISES FOR ALL OF THE JOB CLASSIFICATIONS AND ALMOST AS IMPORTANT, WE GOT MINIMUM RATES THAT WERE INCREASED FOR ALL JOB CLASSIFICATIONS.

SO WE ARE PLEASED WITH THE AGREEMENT, OBVIOUSLY 11 DAYS OF STRIKING IS CHALLENGING AND IT HAS ALL KINDS OF STRUGGLES, BUT OUR MEMBERS ARE REALLY EXCITED AND WE ARE PREPARED TO PRESENT THAT TO THEM FOR RATIFICATION.

>> WHAT CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT THEIR RATE INCREASES, HOW SIGNIFICANT ARE THEY, CAN YOU GIVE US A NUMBER TO CHECK >> THEY ARE SIGNIFICANT.

I CANNOT GIVE YOU SPECIFIC NUMBERS, BUT THEY ARE CERTAINLY NUMBERS THAT ARE IN LINE WITH WHAT WE HAVE ASKED FOR.

THEY MAKE THE WRITER FAR MORE COMPETITIVE THAN IT WAS BEFORE THE STRIKE AND WE THINK IT IS REALLY JUST A FIRST STEP IN MAKING SAFETY NET HOSPITALS LIKE LORETTO GOOD PLACES TO WORK THAT REALLY WILL HELP MAKE THE IMMUNITIES BETTER.

LORETTO IS A STAPLE IN AN INSTITUTION ON THE WEST SIDE OF THE CITY AND WE KNOW THAT BECAUSE OF THE LOW WAGES, THERE WERE STAFFING CHALLENGES AND WE THINK THIS CONTRACT IS A REALLY BIG FIRST STEP IN ADDRESSING THE PROBLEM.

>> WHAT WOULD YOU SAY WAS THE KEY TO REACHING THE DEAL?

>> I THINK THE KEY REALLY IS OF COURSE FIRST THE WORKERS WHO SACRIFICE SO MUCH AND MANY OF THEM SACRIFICED SO MUCH MORE EVEN BEFORE THE STRIKE, BUT WE GOT SO MUCH FROM COMMUNITY LEADERS, FAITH LEADERS, ELECTED OFFICIALS, REVEREND JESSE JACKSON TODAY SHOWED UP AND OFFERED HIS SUPPORT AND ENCOURAGE THE PARTIES TO COME TOGETHER.

OUR MAYOR, BRANDON JOHNSON DID THE SAME THING, CONGRESSMAN DAVIS REALLY HELPED PUSH US ALL TOGETHER AND REALLY MADE US GET TOGETHER TO HASH THIS THING OUT AND WE COULD NOT BE MORE APPRECIATIVE OF ALL THE SUPPORT WE RECEIVED.

>> TELL US ABOUT SOME OF THE WORKERS HERE.

WHO ARE THEY AND WHAT OTHER JOBS THEY PERFORM AT LORETTO?

>> WE REPRESENT ABOUT 200 WORKERS AND A BUNCH OF DIFFERENT JOB CATEGORIES, EVERYTHING FROM FOOD SERVICE TO CERTIFIED NURSING ASSISTANTS.

WE EVEN REPRESENT NUCLEAR MED TEXT, JANITORIAL WORKERS, YOU NAME IT.

PRETTY MUCH EVERYTHING BUT REGISTERED NURSES WITH A HEAVY EMPHASIS ON SERVICE WORKERS, BUT THE RANGE OF WORKERS REALLY COVERED THE GAMUT OF THE HOSPITAL AND WE WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE LEFT NO ONE BEHIND IN THIS AGREEMENT, THAT WE MADE SURE THAT THE LOWEST WAGE WORKERS IMPROVEMENTS, BUT WE WANTED TO MAKE SURE WE RESPECTED HIGHER WAGE BOOKS AND THEN ALSO MADE SURE THOSE THAT SACRIFICED SO MUCH FOR SO MANY YEARS AT LORETTO ALSO RECEIVED SOME AMOUNT OF FAIRNESS.

>> ONE OF THE ISSUES THAT YOU ALL HAVE BEEN HIGHLIGHTING WAS A HIGH TURNOVER RATE OF EMPLOYEES AS A RESULT OF THE RELATIVELY LOW PAY.

DO YOU THINK, DOES THIS DEAL BRING LORETTO HOSPITAL EMPLOYEES UP TO PAIR WITH OTHER HOSPITAL WORKERS IN CHICAGO AND COULD IT KEEP MORE WORKERS ON BOARD AT LORETTO WITH LESS TURNOVER?

>> WE THINK IT IS A GOOD FIRST STEP IN DOING THAT.

I THINK IT IS IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER THAT LORETTO IS A SAFETY NET HOSPITAL.

THERE ARE A NUMBER OF SAFETY NET HOSPITALS THAT WE ALSO REPRESENT, SO THEY ARE PART OF A LARGER HEALTHCARE SYSTEM THAT WERE SO MANY YEARS REALLY HAS NOT GOTTEN THE TYPE OF FUNDING AND SUPPORT THAT IT HAS NEEDED.

SO WE ARE EXCITED THAT THIS AGREEMENT IS A FIRST STEP TOWARDS SOLIDIFYING THAT WORKFORCE, STABILIZING THAT WORKFORCE SO THE HOSPITAL CAN RELATE TO ITS MISSION AND I AM HOPEFUL THAT ONE OF THE THINGS WE TALKED ABOUT AT THE END TODAY WAS HOPEFULLY WORKING WITH MANAGEMENT TO MAKE SURE THAT HOSPITALS LIKE LORETTO GET THE TYPE OF FUNDING THAT THEY NEED SO THAT THE WORKERS CAN GET THE SUPPORT AND WAGES THAT THEY NEED, BUT ALSO SO THAT COMMUNITIES CAN GET THE TYPE OF QUALITY CARE DELIVERED THAT IS SO DESPERATELY NEEDED RIGHT NOW.

>> WHAT WAS YOUR REACTION TO THE HOSPITAL AND HOW THEY WERE ABLE TO STAY OPEN DURING THESE 11 DAYS?

>> WE KNOW HOSPITALS RELY ON TEMP AGENCIES AND AS WE HAVE ARGUED THROUGHOUT INSTEAD OF PAYING TEMP AGENCIES, THEY SHOULD PAY THOSE WORKERS WHO HAVE BEEN SO DEDICATED FOR SO LONG.

SO WE KNOW THAT IS SORT OF THE TRADITIONAL WAY IN WHICH HOSPITALS, EVEN WITHOUT STRIKES HAVE MANAGED TO FUND OR AT LEAST STAMP THEMSELVES, BUT WE BELIEVE THOSE ARE BAD MANAGEMENT DECISIONS.

THEY SHOULD USE THE MONEY THEY SPEND FOR AGENCIES, NOT JUST LORETTO, BUT HOSPITALS AND NURSING HOMES.

PAY THOSE WORKERS WHO COME EVERY DAY A DECENT WAGE AND THEIR NEED FOR STAFFING SUPPORT WILL BE LESSENED.

SO PAY THOSE WORKERS AND YOU WILL SEE MORE STABLE STAFF AND THE NEED FOR TEMP AGENCIES TO BE LESSENED.

>> WE HAVE GOT 30 SECONDS LEFT.

IT SOUNDS LIKE STRIKING WORKERS ARE NO LONGER ON STRIKE.

THEY WILL NEED TO VOTE ON THIS.

WHAT IS NEXT?

>> WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT SAFETY NET HOSPITALS LIKE LORETTO, ST. BERNARD ROSELAND AND MOUNT SINAI ARE SUPPORTED SO THAT THOSE WORKERS CAN DO THE WORK.

>> WHEN DO YOU THINK VOTERS WILL BE ABLE, WHEN DO YOU THINK WORKERS WILL BE ABLE TO VOTE?

>> STARTING TOMORROW.

>> OKAY.

WE HAVE NOT HEARD FROM THE HOSPITAL JUST YET ON THE HIM UP BUT WE WILL BE HEARING FROM THEM ON THE ROAD AND WE