UNITE-HERE Local 1 is one of Chicago's most persistent advocates for workers. At the Congress Hotel on Michigan Avenue, 60 UNITE members have been on strike for over seven years, the longest industry labor stoppage in U.S. history. Another 6,500 members who staff hotels across the city have been working without a contract since August 31, 2009. And just like they did last September, some of those workers risked jail time yesterday evening to grab the attention of their recalcitrant bosses.

Outside the Hyatt Regency, hundreds of onlookers watched as 200 Local 1 members, staffers, and allies blocked traffic along Chicago's busy Wacker Drive and prepared to be arrested. To ease the burden on Chicago's Central District police officers (many of whom attended the wake of slain officer Michael Bailey earlier in the day), the majority of protesters left the scene peacefully after their second warning. Almost 30, including Local 1 president Henry Tamarin, were formally taken into custody. The action was part of a 15-city North American campaign targeting the Hyatt hotel chain and its majority owners, the Pritzkers. (The company is now public.) Below is some footage from the dramatic scene:

Chicago's UNITE-HERE members have multiple complaints with Hyatt. In May, hundreds of Local 1 members staged a dramatic "wildcat" walk-out to protest an increase in workload for the housekeeping staff following the renovation of the Hyatt's West Tower. Tasked with cleaning heavier beds and thicker carpeting, staffers at the time said they were asked to perform at a physically demanding and unsustainable pace. Union officials say that issue remains unresolved. "It's emblematic of the larger tensions and frustrations our workers are feeling," Local 1 communications director Annemarie Strassel told us.

Those tensions stem from a contract negotiation process that has seen little progress in 10 months. Hotel operators Hyatt, Hilton, and Starwood are still seeking salary freezes and want workers to contribute to their own health care benefits. A statement from Hyatt, which is arguably the most influential operator in the industry, argues that the union isn't making a good faith effort to come to the bargaining table. "While we have come to expect a certain amount of union posturing during negotiations, this delay is unfortunate, and work actions can be destructive to the still very fragile economy," the hotel wrote.

The union, which is asking for small wage and benefit increases as well as protections against forced overtime and layoffs, counters that the proposed concessions are unfair. Although tourism slowed in 2009, they cite research from consulting firm PKF Hospitality estimating that revenue at full service hotels is expected to grow by 8 percent annually between 2010 and 2014, the length of the contract workers would likely sign. "Our goal is to send a message to Hyatt and the billionaires who run it," Strassel said. "Stop taking unfair advantage of the recession by trying to lock workers into long-term, cheap contracts."

Last fall, Tamarin told reporters that "our members will entertain the idea [of a strike] if no progress is made." One has to wonder if workers are preparing themselves for such action this fall.