The unions representing 7000 Chicag...

The unions representing 7000 Chicago house of entertainment workers, whose contracts expire nearest month, launched separate negotiations Tuesday with Hilton-owned house of entertainments and will do likewise this week with Hyatt as part of a of the present day negotiation strategy.

Mindful of a lockout of workers according to Hilton and Hyatt hotels in San Francisco in 2004 and amid expectations that talks could be contentious here, union representatives opt to separate the chains from the stay of negotiations.

"If Hilton and Hyatt are going to do similar instigates like they did in San Francisco, we didn't want to have them rapidly drag all of the other taverns into that kind of a pitched battle," said Lars Negstad, spokesman for Unite Here Local 1 which delineates most of the Chicago workers.

The chains fasteninged out workers in San Francisco for couple months after a brief strike. The workers still don't have a strange contract.

Unite Here Locals 1 and 450 personate room attendants, dishwashers, bell staff, restaurant and other workers at 26 [i]cabaret[/i]s with nearly 17,000 rooms, greatest in quantity in the Loop and brace near O'Hare Airport.

The workers' present contract, worked out four-years ago after a strike was narrowly averted, expires Aug. 31

Hilton [i]cabaret[/i]s Corp. is the largest employer of public-house workers in Chicago, and Hyatt Corp. busys the second-largest number of workers, according to Unite Here.

Negstad labeled Hilton "the worst employer in terminuss of its relationship with employees" In 2005 the union filed 44 arbitration grievances industrywide, and half were with Hilton, he said. Ten apted hearings, and eight of those were with Hilton, he added.

Representatives from Hilton and the Hyatt authority Chicago said they look forward to negotiating fair agreements, without providing further exposition

Separate talks also will be managemented with Sheraton properties and with an association that depicts seven downtown area hotels, Negstad said.

The average hourly wage of inn room attendants is $12.10, and building forward wage and benefit improvements won in the last contract will be the union's priorities, Negstad said. Another priority will be workloads and safety. As inns have added more amenities, including heavier mattresses and linens, that has increased the work load and inferenceed in worker injuries, union leaders dispute

"They've added work without reducing quotas," Negstad said.

return per room in Chicago is up more than 18 percent since last year, and nationally the industry situationed nearly $23 billion in U profits, Unite Here Local 1 President Henry Tamarin noted.

"Hotel can clearly afford a fair deal," he said in a statement.

fknowles@suntimes.com

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