UNITE HERE Local 1: Hotel Blake Workers Vote to Strike - Employer Owes $200,000 in...

UNITE HERE Local 1: Hotel Blake Workers Vote to Strike - Employer Owes $200,000 in Benefit Payments

CHICAGO--(Business Wire)--Facing the loss of health care and pension benefits, workers at
the Hotel Blake voted unanimously this evening to authorize a strike.
The vote was 18 to 0 out of a total unit of 21 union workers at the
property.

According to the Union, the hotel's management, Printer's Row,
LLC, has been delinquent for several months in payments to the union's
welfare and pension funds. In 2006, the HEREIU Welfare Fund sued to
collect, and a settlement agreement was reached in May 2007. But the
hotel failed to make the required payments per the settlement
agreement, and stopped making further required fund contributions. The
hotel now owes over $200,000, and the case has been re-opened in
federal court.

The Union reports that workers are in danger of losing their
health care and pension benefits at the end of the month if the
payments are not made. Marcella Mason, a housekeeper at the Hotel
Blake, said "Now we've got the power. We'll show them they have to
take us seriously. We don't want to strike, but they've got to pay
their bills. They're messing with our lives."

A strike can be called at the hotel without any further
notification of the employer.

Hotel Blake is located at 500 S. Dearborn in Chicago's Printer's
Row neighborhood. UNITE HERE Local 1 represents over 14,000 hotel,
foodservice and gaming workers in the Chicago area.

UNITE HERE Local 1
Lars Negstad, cell 312-446-1766
www.UniteHere.org
www.CongressHotelStrike.info

Copyright Business Wire 2008