The Chicago City Council last week deferred the vote on a “right-to-know” ordinance requiring hotels to notify prospective guests of workers who are on strike for more than 20 days.
For the picketers in the longest strike of the Congress Plaza Hotel’s history, this ordinance could give the workers a strong advantage in their six-year battle. The strike began on June 15, 2003 as a result of wage freezes and employee health insurance cuts.
“Every time the city contract comes up, the city council comes up with bills to support the union,” said Mark Souder, Director of Human Resources at the Congress Plaza Hotel.
Souder would not comment on whether he supports or opposes the proposed ordinance, but he says he does not think anyone from the hotel wants the strike to continue. The hotel met in negotiations with the union, Unite Here Local 1, on Sept. 8, but Souder would not comment on the outcome of the negotiations or whether they see an end in sight.
Peter Andjelkovich, attorney and spokesperson for the Michigan Avenue hotel since the strike began, opposes the proposed legislation and says it is unconstitutional. “When (aldermen) tried to pass the ordinance in 2006, they were advised it was illegal,” Andjelkovich said.
Souder said that the hotel decided to voluntarily notify guests of the on-going strike when it initially began.
“Reservations people were instructed to tell (prospective hotel guests) about it a while ago to save them from complaints and surprises later,” Souder said. “To what degree they follow it, I don’t know.”
On the website for the Congress Plaza Hotel, there is a notice of the strike, but if prospective guests are making hotel reservations through online reservation sites, such as expedia.com and hotels.com, they may be unaware of the strike until they arrive.
Andjelkovich says that the hotel’s initiative to notify guests is clearly within their discretion, but government involvement is a completely different matter.
“This is a government action that is against federal law for a municipality to interfere with a business,” said Andjelkovich.
Andjelkovich says that the proposal is a political move more than anything.
“The aldermen are supporting the unions,” Andjelkovich said.
The effect that the ordinance might have on the hotel’s business may be difficult to predict. Souder said he could not measure how the strike has impacted business considering the economic climate.
“We lost some business initially,” Souder said. “I don’t know to what degree it has hurt it.”
Darren Theriault, a guest at the hotel traveling from Nashville, Tennessee, said that he did not know that there was an ongoing strike when he arrived but would return if his rock band had another show in town.
“When we came, there were picketers outside. They didn’t saying anything to us,” said Theriault. “The room was clean. I would stay here again. It’s a beautiful hotel.”
The Chicago City Council is scheduled to vote on the ordinance at next month’s meeting on Oct. 7. If passed, Andjelkovich said he very well might be the one to challenge the measure in court.
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