Thousands of Chicago hotel workers continued their strike for the sixth day Wednesday, primarily to demand a year-round health insurance guarantee. The union said workers also want higher wages, more sick days, and more manageable workloads, the Associated Press reported. Their contracts, which covered 6,000 employees, expired on August 30.
The number of hotel workers involved in the strike has only increased since then. On Monday, workers at Cambria Chicago Magnificent Mile joined the strike, which brought the count of hotels affected by the strike to 26. Before the strike, more than 3,000 UNITE HERE Local 1’s members voted on the issue and 97 percent voted to authorize it.
I joined Palmer House Hilton workers at their picket line today. They and nearly 6,000 @UniteHerelocal1 Chicago hotel workers are on strike for year-round health insurance. When they win, all of Chicago's working families win. #ChicagoHotelStrike pic.twitter.com/rh4Xrqrsr2
— Ald. Carlos Ramirez-Rosa🌹 (@CDRosa) September 11, 2018
The union told the Chicago Tribune that it is the most widespread and coordinated hotel worker strike ever held in Chicago. It’s the first strike in the city to include all hotel workers, whether they’re dishwashers or housekeepers, according to Crain’s Chicago Business.
As the Tribune reported, there are only four hotels that have expired contracts where hotel workers are not on strike: Hotel Raffaelo, Tremont Chicago at Magnificent Mile, Park Hyatt Chicago, and Fairmont Chicago.
Some fine dining restaurants, including the Ritz-Carlton Chicago’s fine-dining restaurant and Torali Italian-Steak, are closed or offering limited menus. Inside the Palmer House Hilton, long lines await check-in, dirty towels have been piling up, and beds have been left unmade, according to ABC7. One guest, Matt Lissack, told ABC7 that the line for check-in was “literally around the building.”
Palmer House Hilton workers and a Tiger Drummer at their picket line the other day. They and nearly 6,000 @UniteHerelocal1 Chicago hotel workers are on strike for year-round health insurance. pic.twitter.com/QzACPDxwy6
— Volk Han (@VolkHanathon) September 12, 2018
In the central business, there are 174 hotels, which means travelers could stay somewhere that is not dealing with contract negotiations, but the hotels in the midst of a strike are some of the biggest ones in Chicago, according to Crain’s Chicago Business.
It’s common for hotel workers to get laid off during the winter when business is slower, and workers end up losing their much-needed health coverage. Javier de La Rosa said to the Tribune that although he has seniority and health coverage all year, he wants to make sure his fellow hotel workers do, as well. Rosa added that he went on strike to protect the wages and benefits he currently has.
Day 5 of the hotel workers strike. Some 6,000 workers are off the job at 26 downtown Chicago hotels. Striking workers with Unite Here 1 union are calling for having healthcare benefits throughout the year, even during the slow winter months when they might not be working. pic.twitter.com/Yl5PTDev9p
— Michael Puente (@MikePuenteNews) September 11, 2018
Q. Rivers, who works at Palmer House Hilton, said in a statement on the union website, “Hotels may slow down in the wintertime, but I still need my diabetes medication when I’m laid off. Nobody should lose their health benefits just because it’s cold out. Full-time jobs should have year-round benefits.”
Each hotel or hotel brand does its own negotiation with the union, so management at some hotels and brands could make agreements with the union before others. Hotel groups say it’s too early in the negotiation process for workers to go on strike, and say they have not yet reached an impasse with the union.
Thousands of workers have disagreed. A spokesperson for Hyatt sent a statement to ABC7 saying, “In fact, Hyatt has not received the union’s complete proposals. Colleague benefits and wages remain unchanged as we negotiate a new agreement … Many colleagues are working … “
#Chicago Hotel Workers strike continues. Outside of Kinzie Hotel @wlsam890 pic.twitter.com/KjNGdtyhoz
— Nick Gale (@NickGale_WLS) September 12, 2018
A Hilton spokesperson told the outlet “More and more of our union Team Members are choosing to return to work and we welcome them to do so,” adding that “It is still early in the negotiations process and Hilton is committed to negotiating in good faith with UNITE HERE Local 1.”
UNITE HERE Local 1 recently helped workers by advocating for a Chicago ordinance that made the city the second in the country to require that hotels have panic buttons. These panic buttons allow hotel workers to request help if a guest is harassing or sexually assaulting them. In 2016, the union put out a survey that showed 58 percent of those surveyed were sexually harassed by guests.