Chicago hotel strike spreads to 8 hotels as servers, cooks and bartenders walk out
Workers at the Hilton Chicago and Hyatt Regency joined on Oct. 18, and more than 7,000 at 46 hotels have authorized a strike. Conferences are still running at struck hotels; no deal had been reported as of Oct. 29.
Room attendants, cooks, servers and bartenders at eight Chicago hotels are on strike after workers at the Hilton Chicago and the Hyatt Regency Chicago joined a Unite Here Local 1 walkout on Oct. 18 that began at six hotels on Oct. 9. The latest status reports, from Hotel Dive and Meetings Today on Oct. 19 and 20, had all eight on strike, and no agreement or return to work had been reported as of Oct. 29.
That is the crew a hotel banquet runs on, and the walkout may not stop at eight. More than 7,000 Local 1 members at 46 hotels voted 85% in September to authorize a strike, Hotel Dive reported, and the union says workers at more hotels could walk out at any time. If you have a banquet, meeting or gala booked at a Chicago hotel, or a shift at one, the questions now are whether your venue is affected and who will staff your date.
Which Chicago hotels are on strike
Workers at six hotels walked off the job on Friday, Oct. 9, as the city prepared for the Chicago Marathon. Hundreds of workers at the Hilton Chicago and the Hyatt Regency Chicago joined them on Oct. 18, CBS News Chicago reported.
| Hotel | Brand | Walkout began |
|---|---|---|
| Millennium Hotel Knickerbocker Chicago | Millennium | Oct. 9 |
| Palmer House, a Hilton Hotel | Hilton | Oct. 9 |
| Sheraton Grand Chicago Riverwalk | Marriott | Oct. 9 |
| Waldorf Astoria Chicago | Hilton | Oct. 9 |
| The Westin Chicago River North | Marriott | Oct. 9 |
| The Westin Michigan Avenue Chicago | Marriott | Oct. 9 |
| Hilton Chicago | Hilton | Oct. 18 |
| Hyatt Regency Chicago | Hyatt | Oct. 18 |
| Total | 4 companies | 8 hotels |
How the Chicago hotel workers strike unfolded
No end date has been set. For context, the 2018 Chicago hotel strike began Sept. 7, 2018, at 25 downtown hotels, ABC7 Chicago reported. Nearly a month later, 10 hotels were still on strike, the Associated Press reported.
Banquet and kitchen roles are on the picket line
Striking workers include room attendants, cooks, dishwashers, bellmen, front desk agents, servers and bartenders, per Hotel Dive. CBS News Chicago also names food service workers at the Hilton Chicago and Hyatt Regency. These are the staff who set ballrooms, run plated dinners and work the bar at hotel events.
Joel Pacheco, 47, has worked as a dishwasher at the Sheraton Grand Chicago Riverwalk for 25 years, the Chicago Sun-Times reported. He told the paper why he walked out:
That's the most important thing for me — to provide for my children.
What each side says: the union, Hilton and Hyatt
Marriott, the brand behind the Sheraton Grand and both Westins, told NBC Chicago on Oct. 10 that it has protocols for staffing impacts and is available to meet with the union. It did not reply to Hotel Dive's requests for comment. Skift reported that Marriott and Hilton said their hotels have plans to keep operating. Millennium, which runs the Knickerbocker, did not respond to NBC Chicago, and we found no public statement from the company.
On the sticking point, Skift reported on Oct. 9, citing a source familiar with bargaining, that talks had stalled over a clause extending union representation to a company's other hotels in four states (Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin and Iowa), with economic terms not yet discussed in depth. The union did not respond to Skift on that account.
What planners should confirm with their Chicago hotel
Events are still running at struck hotels. The week of Oct. 19, the Hyatt Regency Chicago hosted MUSE Inspire, ManuSec USA 2026 and DHI conNextions 2026, and the Hilton Chicago ran a satellite registration and badge desk for Pack Expo International, Meetings Today reported. A company contingency plan says how a hotel will stay open. It does not say who will serve your dinner, so ask for the plan for your date.
Event staff: confirm every Chicago shift
Chicago hotel strike FAQ
We will update this report as walkouts or agreements are reported. Follow the latest in the EventStaff Newsroom.
