Hundreds rally for 'union power' in support of Shedd workers contract fight

First publishedAug 20, 00:27 UTC

Last updatedAug 20, 02:35 UTC · 1m ago

100:27–00:31 UTC1 outletChicago Sun-Times

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Chicago Sun-Times6Hundreds rally for 'union power' in support of Shedd workers contract fightAug 20, 00:27 UTCOpen ↗

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<p>Union workers from across the country flooded the lawn outside the Shedd Aquarium Wednesday in support of its union’s fight for a contract.</p><p>Several hundred union members, in town for the national conference of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, chanted and cheered as speakers riled up the crowd demanding Shedd management agree to a contract with better pay and benefits for the Shedd Workers United union.</p><p>Shedd workers moved to form a union in 2024 as part of a larger trend of workers at some of Chicago’s most iconic cultural institutions doing the same.</p><p>Several speakers referenced the fight to be recognized as a union, saying they’ve been fighting for their rights as workers for years as the Shedd has invested in “union busting lawyers” instead of fair wages for union members.</p><p>Union members wore bright green AFSCME shirts and held signs reading “solidarity” and “union power” as chants pulsed through the crowd against the backdrop of the Chicago skyline and Lake Michigan.</p><p>Lee Saunders, president of AFSCME national and Shedd workers, said Shedd's proposals were insulting.</p><p>“They said no, they didn’t want to give you wage increases,” Saunders said. “They didn’t want to give you what you’re due.”</p><div class="Enhancement" data-align-center> <div class="Enhancement-item" data-crop=""> <figure class="Figure"><a class="AnchorLink" id="image-bc0000" name="image-bc0000"></a> <picture data-crop="medium"> <source type="image/webp" width="490" height="275" data-srcset="https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/d90feab/2147483647/strip/true/crop/6000x3367+0+316/resize/490x275!/format/webp/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2Fea%2F48%2F77564c1cb067b51381a1f356abc7%2F50a4-x359-2e6e-7.jpg 1x,https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/a8a3854/2147483647/strip/true/crop/6000x3367+0+316/resize/980x550!/format/webp/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2Fea%2F48%2F77564c1cb067b51381a1f356abc7%2F50a4-x359-2e6e-7.jpg 2x" data-lazy-load="true" srcset="data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZlcnNpb249IjEuMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIyNzVweCIgd2lkdGg9IjQ5MHB4Ij48L3N2Zz4=" /> <source width="490" height="275" data-srcset="https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/62a2acc/2147483647/strip/true/crop/6000x3367+0+316/resize/490x275!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2Fea%2F48%2F77564c1cb067b51381a1f356abc7%2F50a4-x359-2e6e-7.jpg" data-lazy-load="true" srcset="data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZlcnNpb249IjEuMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIyNzVweCIgd2lkdGg9IjQ5MHB4Ij48L3N2Zz4=" /> <img class="Image" alt="" srcset="https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/62a2acc/2147483647/strip/true/crop/6000x3367+0+316/resize/490x275!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2Fea%2F48%2F77564c1cb067b51381a1f356abc7%2F50a4-x359-2e6e-7.jpg 1x,https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/b0ff4c8/2147483647/strip/true/crop/6000x3367+0+316/resize/980x550!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2Fea%2F48%2F77564c1cb067b51381a1f356abc7%2F50a4-x359-2e6e-7.jpg 2x" width="490" height="275" data-src="https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/62a2acc/2147483647/strip/true/crop/6000x3367+0+316/resize/490x275!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2Fea%2F48%2F77564c1cb067b51381a1f356abc7%2F50a4-x359-2e6e-7.jpg" data-lazy-load="true" src="data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZlcnNpb249IjEuMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIyNzVweCIgd2lkdGg9IjQ5MHB4Ij48L3N2Zz4=" > </picture> <div class="Figure-content"><figcaption class="Figure-caption"><p>American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees members rallied on a lawn outside Shedd Aquarium in support of workers on Wednesday, August 19, 2026.</p></figcaption><span class="line"></span><div class="Figure-credit"><p>Jeremy Battle/Sun-Times</p><p></p><p></p><p>SHEDDRALLY_260820<br></p></div></div> </figure> </div> </div><p>Some elected officials, including Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle and State Representative La Shawn Ford and several aldermen, attended the rally in support of Shedd workers.</p><p>Shedd officials are committed to bargaining in good faith, spokesperson Kayley Galassini said in a statement in response to the rally.</p><p>“The parties have made significant progress at the bargaining table, reaching agreement on all non-economic issues before recently beginning negotiations on economic proposals,” she said. “Those discussions are progressing, and we remain focused on continuing that productive work at the bargaining table, where we believe these important conversations are best resolved.”</p><p>But the economic proposals are where the most issues arise, according to Kirby Garcia, a Shedd worker and union organizer who spoke at the rally. On average, Shedd workers are paid around 20% less than their peers at other cultural institutions, Garcia said.</p><p>“Many of us are struggling,” he said.

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  Hundreds rally for 'union power' in support of Shedd workers contract fight

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