Hyatt union workers to vote on whether to strike

(Crain's) -- Union workers at local Hyatt hotels will take part in a strike authorization vote Thursday, nearly 11 months after the expiration of their last labor contract.

Unite Here Local 1 and Hyatt Hotels Corp. have "made very little progress since we began negotiating (a new contract) in August 2009," says a spokeswoman for Local 1, which represents about 6,500 downtown hotel workers.

The strike vote would give union leaders the authority to call a strike but wouldn't automatically lead to a walkout. Local 1 members voted in October to authorize a strike at four downtown hotels run by Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc.

The vote Thursday afternoon at the Doubletree Hotel in Streeterville will include workers at Park Hyatt, Hyatt Regency Chicago, the Hyatt McCormick Place and the Hyatt O'Hare.

"We are also committed to reaching an agreement that provides a sustainable benefit plan to our employees, including competitive compensation and comprehensive benefits," John Schafer, Hyatt Regency Chicago's vice-president and managing director, said in a statement. "We only see a strike as hurting our own employees and we don't want that to happen."

The Local 1 members who work at downtown hotels run by Hyatt and other chains have been without a new contract since the last one expired on Aug. 31. The union spokeswoman says she's not aware of any past contract talks between Local 1 and downtown hotels that have lasted as long.