Teamsters Local 700 Releases Statement After Losing Two Cook County Department of Corrections Members to Suicide

“Hopefully, this tragedy can be a wake up call that the administration must see our members as more than simply a number”

PARK RIDGE, ILL. – Late last month, two members of Teamsters Local 700, both employees at the Cook County Department of Corrections, took their own lives within 24 hours. Local 700 has been on the ground providing all possible support to its members.

Teamsters Local 700 President Ramon Williams issued the following statement regarding the tragedy:

“We are all deeply shaken as we mourn this horrific tragedy. While suicide is complex, there is no doubt that the extremely stressful and dangerous job our members perform at the Department of Corrections adds a significant amount of pressure to their lives. 

“However, the willful negligence of the Sheriff’s Office cannot be overlooked, as they have continuously failed to provide the necessary support our brave women and men at the Cook County Department of Corrections deserve. Meanwhile, the ineptitude of the Sheriff’s Office and its top staff only perpetuates and magnifies these issues. To put it simply, this administration does not value their employees unless it serves Tom Dart’s political agenda. On behalf of Local 700, we demand accountability from the administration.

“Furthermore, Local 700 is absolutely furious at the lack of response from the Sheriff’s Office surrounding these tragic events. This was a shocking tragedy that rocked every employee within the jail walls, yet the Sheriff’s Office simply glossed over these events while failing to show these fallen officers the dignity they deserve. This shameful lack of respect from the administration has turned grief into anger for many of our members, and rightfully so.

“Instead of hiring qualified professionals, Sheriff Dart has relied on too many incompetent lackeys who are more interested in generating positive press than taking care of the people who do this job day in and day out. Hopefully, this tragedy can be a wake up call that the administration must see our members as more than simply a number, but as human beings who deserve support in the very difficult job they do to keep our community safe.

“Local 700 stands with all of our members at the Department of Corrections as we demand the support every employee deserves to do this job. We hear you, we support you, and we will never stop fighting for you.”

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