Unionized workers at six hotels across the city walked off the job Friday morning amid negotiations for improved wages, benefits and worker protections.
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Unite Here Local 1 hotel workers walked out after an 85% vote authorized strikes in September. The walkouts could disrupt the city as thousands of runners descend for the Chicago Marathon this weekend.
“As Chicago welcomes marathon runners and visitors from around the world, hotel workers are being pushed to the breaking point while greedy hotel honchos cash in,” Unite Here Local 1 President Karen Kent said in a statement. “These strikes send a clear message: hotel workers are done being left behind."
Workers are on strike at the following six hotels, according to the union:
Millennium Hotel Knickerbocker Chicago
Palmer House Hilton
Sheraton Grand Chicago Riverwalk
Waldorf Astoria Chicago
The Westin Chicago River North
The Westin Michigan Avenue Chicago
More than 55,000 runners have signed up to run the 26.2-mile race Sunday, and thousands more spectators are also expected.
The strike comes just over one month after the contracts for more than 7,000 unionized workers at 46 hotels across the city expired. A union spokesperson told Bisnow that it hasn’t yet reached agreements with any of the hoteliers.
Hilton, Hyatt and Marriott didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.
The union is aiming to secure better wages, improved healthcare benefits, sustainable retirement options, protection for immigrant workers and safer workloads.
Workers at any of the other hotels without a contract could go on strike “at any moment,” the union warned in a statement.
The most recent major hotel worker strike happened in September 2018 when thousands of employees at 26 hotels walked out and later earned year-round healthcare coverage and wage increases. Unite Here Local 1 reached agreements with all but one of the 26 hotels within a couple of months.
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