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Chicago hotel workers authorize strike at 46 hotels
More than 7,000 Chicago hotel workers have authorized a strike at 46 hotels, demanding higher wages, better benefits and safer working conditions as rising costs make it harder to support their families.
CHICAGO - Chicago could be on the verge of the biggest hotel strike in history.
Chicago hotel workers strike
What we know:
Workers authorized a strike at 46 hotels downtown and near McCormick Place. The hustle and bustle at Chicago’s biggest name hotels is a sign of a good economy.
According to the workers union, UNITE HERE, a third of the workers could not make rent. Workers recently voted to authorize a strike. Today they took action one step further.
Hotel workers stopped in to sign up for strike benefits in the South Loop today.
Room attendants, cooks, dishwashers, front desk agents, servers, and other hotel workers are demanding wages that keep pace with the cost of living and healthcare. They want secure pensions, safer workloads, and protections for immigrant workers.
More than 7,000 union employees work at Hilton, Hyatt and Marriott to name a few.
What they're saying:
Roushaunda Williams has been a bartender with the Palmer House Hilton.
She says in better economic times, she could provide for her family, but it’s getting harder and the workload is heavier.
"Economically, things have changed for all of us," Williams said. "I mean, everything's high. We have high gas prices, we have high taxes, and so a dollar just simply doesn't go as far as it used to. It's getting harder for us to pay our bills. It's getting a lot harder for us to feed our families. It's getting harder for us to transport ourselves."
According to Choose Chicago, a record-setting 3.56 million hotel rooms were booked during the summer months.
A strike would mean dirty hotel rooms and a lack of food service.
The other side:
"The Illinois Hotel & Lodging Association is deeply concerned about the negative impact a work stoppage will have on employees, visitors, hotels, and the city as a whole. Chicago’s hotel industry supports tens of thousands of jobs, welcomes millions of visitors each year, serves as an important economic driver for the city and state, and generates tax revenue that saves each Chicago household thousands of dollars. We are hopeful hotel operators and union representatives can reach a fair and mutually acceptable resolution that recognizes the important contributions of hotel employees while acknowledging the significant financial and operational pressures facing Chicago hotels. In the meantime, the impacted hotels have robust contingency plans in place and remain open for business and ready to welcome guests with open arms," said Michael Jacobson, President & CEO of the Illinois Hotel & Lodging Association.
What's next:
The next big hotel day for the city is the Chicago Marathon coming up, when the world comes to stay in downtown Chicago.
The Source: The information in this report came from UNITE HERE, Roushaunda Williams of the Palmer House Hilton, Choose Chicago, and Michael Jacobson, president and CEO of the Illinois Hotel & Lodging Association.