In early September, Local 18007’s 90 members working in the Peoples Gas Call Center ratified a new four-year contract, marking significant advances for this predominantly female and ethnically diverse remote workforce. The agreement, reached after extensive negotiations that extended beyond the July 31 expiration date, secured substantial benefits for members who handle the company’s customer service functions as well as hiring commitments for additional union positions. This achievement follows a record-setting contract ratified about a year earlier by Local 18007’s 900-plus field staff.
Key provisions in the new contract include an immediate $1-per-hour wage adjustment which equates to roughly 4.25%. On top of this, the union won guaranteed increases of 14.1% over the four-year term. The $1-per-hour adjustment replaces a previous, metrics-based incentive system that many members viewed as overly punitive. Sean Gaurige, the local’s business manager, explained, “Under the former system, employees could earn a yearly bonus of up to $1,500, but a single poor review — often linked to customer frustrations unrelated to service quality — could disqualify them from the bonus pool. Now, all members will receive an additional $1 per hour, or approximately $2,000 in added annual base pay.” The contract’s four annual guaranteed wage increases are scheduled at 4%, 4%, 3.1%, and 3%.
Bilingual representatives, who previously received a step-up premium only when handling calls requiring language assistance, will now earn this premium for all hours compensated, including paid time off. Other gains include immediate access to bereavement leave — an uncommon benefit, as most company policies require a year of employment for eligibility; a shortening of the probation period by 60 days; and a commitment by the company to hire 30 additional call center staff over the next two years.
Although call center employees are covered by the company’s health plan, it does not provide maternity or paternity leave. To address this, Local 18007 secured job protections for non-FMLA leave for employees with less than one year of service, along with short-term disability coverage for those with more than a year of tenure. These provisions apply to maternity and paternity leave as well as other types of leave covered by the FMLA.
Union negotiators entered bargaining with strong political support and a strike authorization vote by the members. Gaurige reported, “We had letters of support from Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, Illinois House Speaker Chris Welch, and 90% of Chicago’s aldermen. For the company to know that all these eyes were watching our progress gave us extra leverage.”