Strike Averted; Alderwoods Funeral Employees Approve Contract

Teamsters Accept Last-Minute Offer

Alderwoods funeral employees voted 16-4 to accept a last-minute contract offer from the company on Tuesday night, averting a strike.

Service Corporation International, Alderwoods parent company, sweetened its offer considerably from its initial proposal of a 30 percent wage cut. The final offer included a doubling of the company’s contribution to employees’ 401(k) plans, from 2 percent to 4 percent.

The company also backed off the dramatic changes it demanded in working conditions. Some employees took slight pay cuts, some had their wages frozen and some received slight pay increases.

A federal mediator offered to mediate the dispute between the Chicago-area Teamsters and Houston-based Service Corporation International (NYSE: SCI) just hours before the contract vote took place. Teamsters Local 727 represents 25 funeral employees at six area Alderwoods homes.

“We look forward to healing the wounds and closing the rift with the company that resulted from contentious negotiations,” said Teamsters Local 727 Secretary-Treasurer John Coli.

Teamsters Local 727 has represented funeral directors, embalmers and chauffeurs since 1946. Local 727 funeral employees have never struck an employer.

The six Alderwoods homes are: Mt. Auburn in Stickney, Oehler Arlington Heights, Oehler Des Plaines, Weinstein-Devon in Chicago, Weinstein-Wilmette and Zefran in Chicago.

Founded in 1903, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters represents 1.4 million hardworking men and women in the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico.

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