Downtown Chicago taverns may avert...

Downtown Chicago taverns may avert a strike tonight, yet individual hotels might soon find pickets upon the march.

Although contracts covering 7000 Chicago [i]cabaret[/i] workers are set to expire at midnight, negotiations are scheduled to take place Saturday [i]or[/i] part of to the other Monday with Hyatt Corp. [i]cabaret[/i]s and today and tomorrow at Starwood properties, said Lars Negstad, spokesman for Unite Here Local 1

"As in extent as negotiations are going forward with a particular company, then we won't participate in piece of work actions at those companies," Negstad said.

Talks with Hilton inns Corp. took place Tuesday, and were count uponed to go late into the evening Wednesday.

in the way that far, only workers at six Chicago Hyatt and Hilton public-houses have authorized the union to call a strike if negotiations fail to land a fair contract agreement, unless no strike date has been place No other strike authorization devoteds have taken place.

Hilton is the largest employer of inn workers in Chicago, employing roughly 2000 union members, and Hyatt engrosss the second- largest number, 1700 Unite Here said.

Unite Here Locals 1 and 450 take the part of room attendants, dishwashers, bell staff and restaurant and other workers at 26 inns with nearly 17,000 rooms, greatest in number in the Loop and couple near O'Hare Airport.

The union said negotiations haven't taken place at the Ritz- Carlton Chicago, Allerton Crowne Plaza Chicago inn Hotel 71 and Raffaello inn nor have those companies agreed to "me too" agreements in which they would accept contract bourns agreed to by other inns That makes those sites "potential problems" where work at jobs actions could be taken, Negstad said.

Representatives of inn 71 and the Allerton Crowne Plaza said they have had discussions with the union, still Negstad said those "talks have been about talks."

The average hourly wage of Chicago inn room attendants is $12.10, and building forward wage and benefit gains won in the last contract are the union's priorities, along with workload and safety issues.

fknowles@suntimes.com

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