United Center concession workers vote to authorize strike
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Hundreds of concessions workers at the united center could walk off the job at any time.
After last night's Bulls' game, they authorized a possible strike with a 98 percent yes vote.
The food and beverage servers are employed by Levy Restaurants - a subsidiary of the Compass Group.
The union wants affordable healthcare, better wages, and benefits.
The next event on the United Center calendar that could be impacted by a potential strike is Thursday night's Bulls-Hornets game.
Levy Restaurants released a statement following the authorization of the strike:
"We are discouraged by UNITE HERE Local 1's vote since there is a fair and generous proposal on the table.
This comes after 17 bargaining sessions, starting in September of 2021, during which Levy has agreed to a number of the union's specific requests.
Our current wage and economic proposal is the most significant in the history of our strong, working relationship with Local 1. Throughout the process, Levy has made several substantial concessions while the union has moved very little from its initial economic proposal in over a year. Levy's current proposal is already more than double the economic value of the previous two contracts with Local 1 at the United Center.
Our full proposal includes health insurance coverage for more of the union's membership, substantial lowering of qualification requirements, an immediate wage increase, a guaranteed starting hourly rate of at least $20 for non-tipped positions and the addition of a tip guarantee for tipped positions.
We are committed to working diligently with Local 1 to reach an agreement during the next bargaining sessions scheduled for mid-February. Should a strike occur, Levy will continue to provide food and beverage at United Center events to ensure the fan experience is not interrupted."