7,000 Chicago hotel workers vote to authorize strike

More than 7,000 hotel workers in downtown Chicago voted Monday night to authorize a strike, and their union said a walkout could be called at any hotel at any moment, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.

UNITE HERE Local 1 said 85% of workers voted yes across 46 hotels downtown and near McCormick Place. Contracts at those hotels expired Aug. 31, and negotiations are continuing. The union said a strike by all 7,000 workers would be the largest hotel workers’ strike in Chicago history, CBS Chicago reported.

Local 1 represents room attendants, cooks, dishwashers, front desk agents, servers and food service workers. It has been negotiating with the hotels since June. Most of the 46 hotels belong to three groups, Hyatt, Marriott and Hilton, though a few smaller operators are also involved, the Sun-Times reported. Because bargaining agreements are separate for each hotel chain, strikes could come in waves or at some hotels and not others, according to The Real Deal.

Karen Kent, president of Local 1, said in a statement issued by the union: “Tourism in Chicago is booming, all while inflation is increasing, and it’s affecting our hotel workers across the industry.” She said workers are ready to strike “because they work too hard to live like this.”

The union released results of a member survey. About a third of workers said they could not cover rent or mortgage payments, and two-thirds said their hours were cut during the slow period, the Sun-Times reported. One in four took out a payday or short-term loan to cover expenses. Nearly 30% lacked the money to cover utility bills, CBS Chicago reported. Local 1 also said Marriott, Hyatt and Hilton returned $22.3 billion to shareholders over the past three years.

Workers described their conditions in statements provided by the union. Cassandra Pope, a room attendant at the Palmer House Hilton, said: “I voted yes to strike because I’ve had enough. They’re putting us on the schedule six consecutive days without even asking us.” She said she needs the income to feed her four children.

Maurice Deloach, a housekeeper at The Drake, said health care is at stake. “Health care, it isn’t a perk,” Deloach said. “It’s something we deserve, something we earned and paid for through our labor.” Christianell Mitchell, a housekeeper, said mandatory overtime and workloads are sticking points. A union flyer reviewed by the Tribune listed wages, benefits, workload, civil rights and union growth as the key issues, The Real Deal reported.

Roushouda Williams, a bartender at the Palmer House Hilton and a 26-year Hilton employee, said she hopes a strike can be avoided. “We want to talk about what our needs are in good faith,” Williams told the Sun-Times while signing up for strike benefits at East-West University in the Loop on Tuesday.

The hotels responded with statements. Daniel Dring, Hyatt’s head of labor relations for the Americas, said the company has offered competitive wages and benefits. “All employees’ wages and benefits remain unchanged as we negotiate a new agreement,” Dring said. Hyatt has a contingency plan to limit the effect of any labor disruption, he said. Representatives from Hilton and Marriott did not respond to Sun-Times requests for comment.

Michael Jacobson, president and chief executive of the Illinois Hotel & Lodging Association, which represents more than 500 Illinois hotels, said the group is “deeply concerned about the negative impact a work stoppage will have on employees, visitors, hotels, and the city as a whole.” He said affected hotels have contingency plans and remain open for business.

CBS Chicago noted that if talks do not improve within two weeks, visitors arriving for the Bank of America Chicago Marathon could be affected.

The last strike by unionized hotel workers in Chicago came in 2018 and lasted about a month, the Sun-Times reported. That year, 97% of union hotel workers at upwards of 24 hotels voted to walk off the job, and major hotel groups reached agreements with the union within a month that included year-round health insurance coverage, according to The Real Deal.