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UNITE HERE
PI Original
by Ashlee Rezin
10:17pm
Wed May 1

Thousands Attend Chicago May Day Rally, Push For Comprehensive Immigration Reform (VIDEO)

Thousands of protesters took part in Chicago's May Day events Wednesday to stand for workers’ rights, demand a simplified pathway to citizenship and call for the end of deportations while a new immigration law is being hashed out in Congress. Progress Illinois was there for the day's events.

PI Original
by Ellyn Fortino
6:40pm
Tue Apr 30

CPS Lunchroom Workers Call For Healthier Food In Schools (VIDEO)

About a dozen school lunchroom workers protested outside Chicago Public Schools’ headquarters today and called on the Board of Education to phase out its frozen food model and provide healthier meals for students. Progress Illinois was there for the rally.

Quick Hit
by Ashlee Rezin
4:46pm
Wed Apr 24

Unite Here, Hilton Reach Contract Agreement Without A Lengthy Battle

Four months before their existing contracts were set to expire, more than 600 Hilton Hotel workers represented by Unite Here Local 1 and Local 450 have reached a five-year contract settlement with the hotel chain.

Workers’ from the Drake, Palmer House Hilton, Chicago Hilton, and Hilton O’Hare voted Saturday to ratify the agreement with the Virginia-based hotel chain, well before the August 31 contract expiration date. 

“This is really significant in that this has all been done before the expiration of the current contract,” said Carly Karmel, spokesperson for Unite Here. 

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Quick Hit
by Ellyn Fortino
5:06pm
Wed Apr 10

Unions Unite, Issue Joint Report Against School Closings

Members and leaders of three unions representing workers in the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) system criticized the city’s recent round of school actions in a joint report issued Tuesday, saying school closings hurt children, struggling neighborhoods, and working families.

They’ve called on the Chicago Board of Education, CPS and Mayor Rahm Emanuel not to close any schools.

“Strong schools are supposed to create strong neighborhoods,” said SEIU* Local 1 spokeswoman Izabela Miltko. “We all believe that Chicago needs to protect and invest in its children and not tear apart communities, tear apart schools.”

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PI Original
by Ashlee Rezin
11:22pm
Wed Mar 27

Thousands Take To Downtown Chicago Streets In Protest Against CPS School Closures (VIDEO)

More than 7,000 protesters descended upon downtown Chicago today in protest of school closures and related actions by the Chicago Public Schools system. Progress Illinois was there for the action.

Quick Hit
by Ashlee Rezin
5:33pm
Tue Mar 12

Airport Workers Demand Fresh, Local Food Options At O'Hare

Demanding that fresh, locally-sourced food be a requirement in concession changes in O’Hare, a group of airport workers represented by Unite Here Local 1, delivered a report to the Chicago Department of Aviation this morning with suggestions for the airport’s new food and beverage contracts.

“In airports across the country, passengers are making more sophisticated and savvy food choices when traveling,” the report reads. “As the city continues to modernize O’Hare, it’s important to consider how Chicago can flourish in this rapidly changing industry.”

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Quick Hit
by Aricka Flowers
6:55pm
Fri Sep 28, 2012

UNITE HERE Local 1 Members See Obama As Source of Inspiration (VIDEO)

As election day nears, members of UNITE HERE Local 1 were asked about what they thought of President Barack Obama and the job he has done thus far. A recurrent theme of seeing the President as a source of inspiration ran through many of their responses and was the catalyst for a new video released by the union this week.

The video touches on how Obama administration policies have assisted in helping students pay for college as well as the racial impact of Obama being elected president.

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Quick Hit
by Matthew Blake
3:58pm
Fri Jul 27, 2012

In Support Of Housekeepers, UNITE HERE Launches Global Hyatt Boycott

UNITE HERE Local 1 members kicked off what they bill as a week-long global boycott of Hyatt Hotel Corp. yesterday, organizing rallies in coordination with hotel housekeepers across the country. The protests started yesterday with a demonstration outside downtown Chicago’s Hyatt Regency.

Local 1 organizer Carly Karmel claims that, “The rally marked the largest escalation for our ongoing campaign for basic worker rights at Hyatt.” Read more »

Quick Hit
by Brandon Campbell
1:19pm
Mon Jun 18, 2012

Congress Hotel Workers Strike Enters Ninth Year (VIDEO)

On Friday, outside the front doors of the Congress Plaza Hotel, a group of striking hotel workers were joined by hundreds of supporters marching in a noisy picket line to mark the ninth anniversary of the nation's longest-running strike.

Megaphone-enhanced shouts of "No Contract, No Peace" were nearly drowned out by the clickety-clack of plastic noisemakers as members of UniteHere! Local 1 continued on their 3,288th day of protesting a lack of wage and benefit increases for the hotel's staff.

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