Hotel union cautions customers about pending strikes, puts meeting business at risk
Unite Here Local 1, a union representing downtown Chicago hotel workers, sent letters to 200 people who book events in the city, warning them that possible strikes could disrupt customer service. “If workers go on strike, customer service could be disrupted. At the Congress Hotel — where workers have been on strike for over six years — guests have complained of a lack of amenities, roaches and poor service,” states the letter signed by Unite Here Local 1 Research Analyst Jessica Lawlor.
The letter recommends that customers include protective language in contracts made with the Sheraton, W Lakeshore, W City Center, Westin Michigan Avenue and Tremont hotels, where Starwood employees have voted to authorize a strike if an acceptable agreement isn’t reached.
“The letter’s raising concerns with our clients,” says Jack Johnson, Vice President, External Relations, Chicago Convention & Tourism Bureau (CCTB). “The message is that if you’re involved with any of these hotels, your meeting’s at risk.”
Johnson says Dick Abram, Vice President of Corporate Relationships at EventLink International Inc., recently contacted the CCTB after a client called to inform him that he received a call from Unite Here about a possible strike and decided not to book the event in Chicago. “Chicago is a great destination, but in reality it is not a good business decision for me to place clients in cities where union staff call to harass my clients and tell them the hotels will be on strike when they are in your city,” Abram wrote in an e-mail to the CCTB.
Union contracts covering about 6,000 workers in 31 downtown Chicago hotels expired Aug. 31. Unite Here is also supporting a city ordinance that would require hotels to notify customers if and when a strike occurs. The ordinance initially failed to pass and was sent back to the Finance Committee, but it could be called again as early as next week, Johnson says.
“We’re on record opposing the ordinance,” Johnson says. “It’s unconstitutional. We have a vigorous collective bargaining agreement in place and this falls under it. The message it sends out is that Chicago is at a competitive disadvantage and it’s a hassle doing business with us.”
Popular content
|
|
|
|
|
