Hundreds of workers at the Hilton Chicago and Hyatt Regency Chicago went on strike Sunday, more than a week after workers at six other Chicago hotels made their own picket lines — demanding safer working conditions and better wages, pensions and healthcare benefits.
About 85% of workers represented by UNITE HERE Local 1 voted to authorize a strike after more than 7,000 workers across 46 Chicago hotels were left without a contract as of Sept. 1. The workers include room attendants, cooks, dishwashers and other hospitality workers.
Ilene Brown, a room attendant at Hilton Chicago, is one of the workers on strike.
“It’s crazy out there,” Brown said. “We’re fighting for our lives here. Everybody’s showing up, we’re showing each other support, looking out for one another. It’s like a big family. We all came together to fight for what we deserve.”
Workers at the Sheraton Grand Chicago Riverwalk, Waldorf Astoria Chicago, Palmer House a Hilton Hotel, The Westin Chicago River North, Westin Michigan Avenue and Millennium Hotel Knickerbocker went on strike Oct 9.
“Things have gone on for a while, we haven’t reached an agreement,” said Karen Kent, president of UNITE HERE Local 1. “And I think that’s emblematic of where people are at in this moment. People felt like it was important to demonstrate to the company that they need to step up and come with something serious. Nobody likes to be on strike.”
A 2025 survey concluded that 32% of hotel workers represented by UNITE HERE Local 1 did not have enough money to cover rent/mortgage, while 29% said they did not have enough to pay their utility bills. 25% of surveyed workers said they were forced to take out payday loans or other short-term loans to make ends meet.
Brown said she is often asked to work mandatory overtime and serve additional rooms, meaning she gets to spend less time with family.
“It’s extremely hard,” Brown said. “It’s like we’re doing everybody’s job. We’re understaffed (and) overworked.”
In a statement to WTTW News, Daniel Dring, head of labor relations for the Americas at Hyatt, wrote, in part: “We are disappointed UNITE HERE Local 1 has chosen to strike while Hyatt remains willing to continue bargaining in good faith. Hyatt has offered competitive wages and benefits, and all employees’ wages and benefits remain unchanged as we negotiate a new agreement. We look forward to continuing to negotiate a fair contract and recognize the contributions of Hyatt employees.”
A spokesperson from Hilton also issued a statement, writing, in part, “Hilton makes every effort to maintain a cooperative and productive relationship with UNITE HERE Local 1, which represents some of our Team Members in Chicago. We remain committed to negotiating fair and reasonable agreements that benefit both our valued Team Members and our hotels.”
According to UNITE HERE Local 1, Marriott, Hyatt and Hilton returned $22.3 billion to shareholders over three years. Kent said that means the companies should be able to give more to employees.
“Tourism is rushing back and we’ve seen numerous articles throughout the industry, throughout the media talking about tourism here in Chicago,” Kent said. “We can see it on the streets, how many people are coming and what the room prices are every night. And frankly, it’s a travesty that they allowed this to go on.”
Brown said she and her colleagues will continue to hold demonstrations as they continue negotiations.
“If we had what we needed, we definitely wouldn’t be outside the building,” Brown said. “This could be over with one phone call. We didn’t wanna go outside. We just know we work too hard to live like this.”
