Community Corner

Funeral Directors Stage Rally As Picket Hits 100 Days

Pols and religious leaders join funeral home directors on the picket line, a couple of lost pets and real local weather in 'Today in Oak Lawn.'

Funeral directors, embalmers and drivers will stage a rally marking 100 days on the picket line since walking out of contract negotiations with funeral corporation Service Corporation International.

Members of Illinois's political, religious and labor communities will join the locked-out, Teamster-represented funeral home employees at noon, Thursday, in front of Blake-Lamb Funeral Home, 4727 W. 103rd St., in Oak Lawn (Cicero Avenue and 103rd Street).

The union members, including employees from Blake-Lamb and Chapel Hill Garden South in Oak Lawn, and Evergreen Park's Kenny Brothers, say they want to preserve preserve health care and retirement benefits that Houston-based SCI  "wants to strip away," according to a Teamster press release.

SCI, which operates under the Dignity Memorial-brand, locked out the striking employees on Aug. 19.

Thursday's rally will feature several guest speakers, including Teamsters Joint Council 25 President John T. Coli, State Sen. Bill Cunningham, State Rep. Kelly Burke, Chicago Fire Department Chaplain Fr. Thomas Mulcrone, State Sen. Tom Cullerton, Teamsters Central Region Vice President Becky Strzechowski and Chicago Alderman Nick Sposato.

Read Patch coverage of the funeral home employee strike.

Lost Pet Department


We've had a string of lost pets. If you find and/or site these pets, let your old Patch editor know, lorraine.swanson@patch.com. I can put you in touch with the owners. See their pictures.

  • Kiwi the talking Quaker parrot got of her cage on Wednesday in the vicinity of 103rd/Pulaski/Karlov. She has a bald spot on her stomach from where she plucked out some feathers. Says "kiss, kiss," "wanna take a bath," "cuddle, cuddle," and lots of other words. Her owner is devastated.
  • Rocky the border collie got out of the yard with his little buddy on Wednesday. Unfortunately, Rocky wasn't wearing his collar. His owners got the little dog back, but they're still looking for Rocky. He was last seen running down 91st Street near 52nd Avenue around 9:30 p.m. last night. He's very friendly. 
Find out more about these lost pets on Oak Lawn Patch's Facebook page. Our track record is pretty good for finding dogs. Kiwi is our first bird.


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