Cook County Finance Subcommittee on Workers' Compensation Meeting - April 14, 2026
STREAMING COPY IN PREPARATION — RECORDING AVAILABLE FROM THE ORIGINAL SOURCE
Cook County Finance Subcommittee on Workers' Compensation Meeting - April 14, 2026
A meeting of the Cook County Finance Subcommittee on Workers' Compensation was held on April 14, 2026, at 11:30 AM. The meeting was called to order by the Chairman with all members present (Commissioners McCasco, Marita, Trevor, Vasquez, and the Chairman). The agenda had no changes, and one public speaker addressed the subcommittee. The meeting approved minutes from March 10, 2026, and a series of recommended settlements, then adjourned.
Consent Calendar
- Minutes Approval (Item 26-1150): The subcommittee unanimously approved the minutes of the meeting of March 10, 2026. Motion by Commissioner Trevor, seconded by Commissioner Merida. No discussion; all in favor.
- Settlements Approval: The subcommittee unanimously approved a list of 19 settlements as recommended by the State's Attorney, including items 26-1034, 26-1959, 26-1092, 26-1937, 26-1094, 26-1060, 26-1047, 26-1036, 26-0945, 26-1023, 26-1035, 26-1093, 26-1048, 26-112, 26-1090, 26-0950, 26-1080, 26-1091, and 26-1026. A transposition on page two was corrected for item 26-0959 (noted as 260959). Motion by Commissioner Trevor, seconded by Commissioner Vesquez. All in favor.
Public Comments & Testimony
- George Blake Moore: Mr. Moore expressed concerns that the workforce is changing and that Black workers are being displaced. He argued that bilingual workers (e.g., those speaking Spanish, Hindi, Jamaican Creole) have an advantage because they cooperate and send money back to their home countries. He stated that the Black workforce often lacks bilingual skills and has forgotten its heritage. He also criticized “black thieves in high places” and urged self-preservation, stating, “we have to be a part of this workforce.”
Key Outcomes
- Minutes Approved: Unanimously approved without discussion.
- Settlements Approved: Unanimously approved all 19 listed settlements.
- Adjournment: Motion by Commissioner McCaskill, seconded by Commissioner Marita, carried unanimously. Meeting adjourned.
Meeting Transcript
Ready when you are, sir. Okay. The hour having reached 11 30. I would like to call to order the Cook County Finance Subcommittee on Workers' Compensation. Madam Secretary, will you please take the call? Commissioner McCasco. Thank you. Commissioner Marita is present. Commissioner Trevor. Commissioner Vasquez. And Chairman is present. Chairman, you do have a quorum. All members are present. Thank you very much. No no reason for remote. Uh Madam Secretary, are there any public speakers or changes to the agenda? No changes to your agenda. One speaker, George Blake Moore, please be reminded of the board rules. Mr. Blakemore. Workman compensation. The workforce. The workforce is changing. Once upon a time, they have a black workforce. A slave was a workforce. And what color was those slaves? Black. Now we have a workforce. That's that they are moving the black people out. Mr. Blake more, you should say. Anyway. They're moving them out. Number one. The people who are competing are bilingual. They speak more than one language. If you go higher, come back in the workforce. Why not hire? Get the both out of it. From what? What do they do? They come here. They speak more than one language. That's another uh an advantage. And they don't have the slave mentality. And they know how to cooperate with each other and help each other. And when they go to that workforce alone, when they get paid, they know how to reach back and pick up their people. They don't forget where they came from. They go right to that curvature chain and send that money right back to Mexico, right back to India, right back to Alpha Jamaica. Something have happened to our black workforce.
openpublica.com