Chicago Hotel Strike Hits Six Downtown Properties Ahead of Marathon Weekend

The walkout, called by Unite Here Local 1, is far narrower than the action members had authorized. More than 7,000 workers at 46 hotels voted last month to approve a strike, and contracts expired at 44 of those properties on August 31. The other two also operate without agreements in place. Most of those workers are still on the job.

The strike list spans three Marriott-branded hotels, two Hilton-branded hotels and one Millennium property, with members picketing outside the Sheraton Grand Chicago Riverwalk. The action began Friday, October 9, two days before the Chicago Marathon, a period when downtown room demand and rates typically peak.

Local 1 President Karen Kent declined to say what would trigger a wider walkout, telling reporters that the union would have to do much more, whether through strikes or other actions. Workers at any of the remaining hotels could be on strike at any moment, she said.

At the heart of the dispute is who shoulders the payroll cost. Hotel owners, rather than the brands on the building signage, carry most of that burden. The union argues there is enough money in the system to meet its demands, while owners take a different view of the economics.

With roughly 40 additional hotels named as possible targets and most of the authorized workforce still on the job, the six-property action leaves room for the union to escalate during one of Chicago's busiest tourism weekends.