This week, lawmakers in Springfield will debate how to revamp and revitalize Chicago's struggling convention business.
House Speaker Michael Madigan (D-Chicago) says he's looking into privatizing the public authority that runs McCormick Place, a move supported by the General Assembly's chief adviser on the topic. (Check out his full list of recommendations here.)
Members
of UNITE HERE Local 1 -- still locked in a bitter contract dispute with
the city's major hotel operators -- are taking matters into their own hands.
Below is a slick video featuring local hospitality workers promoting Chicago
as a vacation and convention destination. Watch it:
The union is sponsoring a contest to name the video, which will "involve the public ... in promoting Chicago." Click here for more information.
The Congress Hotel employees have been striking for over six years.
In the coming days, a huge batch of their fellow Chicago hotel workers
may join them.
At 8 p.m. last night, employees at five area hotels run by the Starwood Chain -- the Westin
Michigan Avenue...
Yesterday marked a solemn milestone for the service workers at the
Congress Hotel in downtown Chicago. For six years, four months, and 11
days, UNITE-HERE Local 1 members have walked their picket line in hopes of securing fair wages and benefits,
marking the longest hotel ...
Chicago's City Hall isn't the most hospitable place for progressives
seeking transparency or inclusive public policy. But that didn't deter
activists of all stripes -- from labor organizers and abortion-rights
supporters to homeless advocates and public interest ...
Despite many years as a political outsider, Gov. Pat Quinn continues
to line up crucial institutional support for his 2010 campaign. Two
weeks after receiving signficant endorsements
from the SEIU Illinois State Council (which sponsors this website) and
the Teamsters ...
Nearly a month after their multi-year contract expired and with no agreement in sight, 6,000 Chicago-based hotel workers represented by UNITE-HERE Local 1 decided yesterday it was time to raise their profile. In a dramatic and peaceful act of protest, 22nd Ward Ald. Ric ...
While it's unclear whether contract negotiations
between UNITE-HERE Local 1 and Chicago's major hotel chains will prove
fruitful, the union and the workers it represents at the Congress Hotel
earned a significant victory at City Hall today. By a 16-3 vote, the
...
Workers at the Congress Hotel haven't had a contract in six years. As of 12 hours ago, neither do 6,000 of their union colleagues throughout the city.
A three-year contract covering UNITE-HERE Local 1 workers at 30 downtown hotels expired
at midnight yesterday and ...
