Thousands of downtown Chicago hotel workers vote to authorize strike

Thousands of workers at dozens of downtown Chicago hotels have voted to authorize a strike, which their union said would be the largest in the city's history.

UNITE HERE Local 1 said, after negotiations on new contracts failed to reach an agreement, 85% of workers at 46 hotels voted to authorize strikes. Most of those contracts expired on Aug. 31, according to the union.

Collectively, the hotels employ more than 7,000 room attendants, cooks, dishwashers, front desk agents, servers, and food service workers at more than 40 hotels downtown and near McCormick Place. The union said if all those workers go on strike, it would be the largest hotel workers' strike in Chicago history.

The union said it could call for strikes at any moment at any of the affected hotels. If negotiations don't improve in the next two weeks, thousands of visitors coming in for the Bank of America Chicago Marathon might have to deal with dirty hotel rooms.

On Tuesday, workers were set to gather at East-West University ot register for strike benefits.

"I voted yes to strike because I've had enough. They're putting us on the schedule six consecutive days without even asking us. They demand and demand, always rushing us in the rooms, without acknowledging that we are human beings. We only have two hands and two feet. I'm coming out of here extremely exhausted. And I have to come and work, because I need money to feed my four children." Cassandra Pope, a room attendant at the Palmer House Hilton, said in a statement provided by the union.

The union said hotel chains like Hyatt, Hilton, and Marriott have failed to offer fair wages to employees. UNITE HERE Local 1 said a recent survey found nearly one-third of hotel workers were not paid enough over the past year to cover rent or mortgage payments, and nearly 30% lacked the money to cover utility bills.

"I work too hard to live like this," said LaTonya Jennings, a room attendant at the Hilton McCormick Place. "I'm tired of robbing Peter to pay Paul."

Health care is also a sticking point.

"Health care — it isn't a perk," said Maurice Deloach, a housekeeper at The Drake. "It's something we deserve, something we earned and paid for through our labor."

"I'm tired. My body's aching. Then I just found out I got arthritis in my spine, so it's like wear and tear on my body, and I am too young," said Valenica Smith, a housekeeper at Marriott Marquis. "We work too damn hard to live like this."

Housekeeper Christianell Mitchell said she is frustrated with unreasonable workloads and mandatory overtime.

"Sometimes they do stick it to us at the last minute," she said. "It could be midday, 2 o'clock and you think you're almost over your shift and getting ready to leave and they're like, 'Oh no, you have to stay to finish.'" 

The Illinois Hotel & Lodging Association, a nonprofit trade group representing more than 500 Illinois hotels, said it 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," Illinois Hotel & Lodging Association president and CEO Michael Jacobson said in a statement. "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."

The union said the last large-scale strike at downtown Chicago hotels was in 2018, when workers at 26 hotels went on strike. During that strike, customers complained about dirty beds, long check-in lines, and other issues, while people who live downtown got fed up with noise from nonstop picket lines.

All of the affected hotels reached contract agreements with workers within a month of the 2018 strike.

Hyatt Hotels released a statement saying contingency plans were in place to minimize any impact on hotel operations in the event of a strike, while also emphasizing that the hotel chain respects workers' rights to voice their opinions.

"Our colleagues are the heart of our business, and Hyatt has a long history of cooperation with the unions that represent our employees, including UNITE HERE Local 1," Hyatt said in the statement. "Hyatt has offered competitive wages and benefits, and all employees' wages and benefits remain unchanged as we negotiate a new agreement. We look forward to continuing to negotiate a fair contract and recognize the contributions of Hyatt employees."

A Hilton spokesperson issued this statement: "There is currently no labor disruption at the hotels, and a strike vote does not mean that there will be a strike. We are also focused on providing our guests with our signature hospitality and have contingency plans in place to ensure operations continue to run as smoothly as possible in the case of a work stoppage."

Marriott had not issued any comment as of early Tuesday afternoon.