Chicago – About 130 workers at the Congress Plaza Hotel walked out on strike at 11:00 a.m., June 15, here protesting illegal wage and benefit cuts. The contract with Hotel Employees and Restaurant Employees Union (HERE) Local 1 expired on December 31, 2002, making it the first strike at a Chicago hotel in recent memory.
As of May 14, the Congress cut workers’ wages by 7 percent, and have effectively eliminated healthcare and pension by refusing to pay the required monthly premiums.
The picket lines will be up 24 hours a day. To support the strikers, you can send a check made out to HERE Local 1 Strike Fund, with “Congress Strike” written in the memo line. Mail to HERE Local 1, 55 W. Van Buren, 4th Fl, Chicago IL 60605.
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