Two More Hotels Join Chicago Hotel Strike
By Jordan Bradley
The hotel worker strike in Chicago has grown to eight hotels.
On October 18, hundreds of hotel workers at the Hilton Chicago and the Hyatt Regency Chicago hotels walked off the job amid stalled contract negotiations.
Workers at these hotels join workers at the Sheraton Grand Chicago Riverwalk, Waldorf Astoria Chicago, Palmer House a Hilton Hotel, The Westin Chicago River North, Westin Michigan Avenue, and the Millennium Hotel Knickerbocker.
The hotels workers are represented by hotel union Unite Here Local 1. Members at the initial six hotels began striking over the weekend of the Chicago Marathon earlier this month. Workers on strike include room attendants, cooks, dishwashers, cashiers, front desk agents, baristas, servers and waitstaff, and bellmen.
Workers are seeking increased wages keep pace with inflation, better benefits, stronger workload protections, and civil rights protections, Local 1 said.
“Hyatt, Hilton, Marriott, Chicago: you are on notice. Chicago’s hotel workers are done waiting while hotel honchos refuse to deliver a fair deal,” said Karen Kent, President of Unite Here Local 1. She added that the workers currently striking “run these hotels and have the power to disrupt operations.”
Hotel representatives told local news outlet WTTW that they remain committed to reaching an agreement with the union.
“We are disappointed UNITE HERE Local 1 has chosen to strike while Hyatt remains willing to continue bargaining in good faith,” Daniel Dring, head of labor relations for the Americas at Hyatt, wrote in a statement to WTTW. “Hyatt has offered competitive wages and benefits, and all employees’ wages and benefits remain unchanged as we negotiate a new agreement. We look forward to continuing to negotiate a fair contract and recognize the contributions of Hyatt employees.
Union representatives expect strikes and service disruptions will continue until a contract is signed.
“Until workers win the wages, protections, and respect they and their families deserve, the picket lines will grow, and the disruption will only intensify,” Kent said.
More than 45 hotels across Chicago have been without a contract since September 1, including the eight currently striking, according to Local 1.
The union says it could call strikes at any of the other hotels at any time.