Saturday, June 23, 2012
Workers at the Congress Plaza Hotel in downtown Chicago went on strike in 2003 to protest low wages and benefits being offered by management.
The members of Unite Here Local 1 are still on strike, although most of the employees who walked out nine years ago have moved on to other jobs.
It is the longest continuing labor protest in the United States currently, with no end in sight.
The hotel is owned by Swiss-based businessman Albert Nasser, whose holdings include manufacturing, real estate and other investments. The only hotel he owns is the Congress, which some say he keeps for tax purposes. The union contract is set to expire in June 2013.
The Congress has gradually lost business during the nine-year strike because conventioneers have avoided crossing the picket line.
Only a dozen employees work at the Congress, while the rest of the staff consists of temporary workers who receive no benefits and even lower wages.
-Noel Brinkerhoff
To Learn More:
Hotel Union Sticks With Longest Ongoing U.S. Strike (by David Moberg, In These Times)
Congress Hotel Workers Strike Enters Ninth Year (by Brandon Campbell, Progress Illinois)
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