South suburban workers demand higher wages, saying other Chicago employees get paid more

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Workers at University of Chicago Medicine in Harvey say it’s not fair that north suburban workers get paid more

Colette Seymore said that the biggest raise she ever got in her two decades of work at Ingalls Memorial Hospital was 33 cents an hour.

Employees gathered outside Ingalls Memorial Hospital in Harvey on Saturday to demand higher wages.

They said that the hospital is getting what they call a "Harvey discount" and paying workers less than other healthcare employees in the Chicago area.

"Ingalls is offering us a raise now which is not one slap in the face but two slaps in the face, and that's not nothing compared to the cost of living," said phlebotomist Colette Seymore.

She said that the biggest raise she ever got in her two decades of work was 33 cents an hour.

The workers recently won recognition of their union and are now at the bargaining table for a contract.

Ingalls is part of the University of Chicago medical system and there are also Ingalls locations in Calumet City, Flossmoor, South Holland, Crestwood and Tinley Park.