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Congress Hotel ... On Strike for Equality!

SAVE THE DATE
Thursday,  June 12, 2008
Congress Hotel Strike
5th Anniversary Action
4:00-6:00 p.m. in front of the Congress Hotel
(Congress & Michigan Ave.)

Nearly five years ago, members of UNITE HERE Local 1 working at the Congress Hotel went out on strike after the hotel decided to freeze wages and slash benefits.  Workers there have braved five cold Chicago winters on the picket line to ensure that hotel jobs in this city are strong, family-sustaining jobs.

Now the longest active strike in the country, their historic stand is a testament to how far we've come  . . . and how far still we have to go.  Today, Chicago housekeepers make $13.90 an hour, while the Congress Hotel still pays 2002 wages - just $8.83 an hour. Working families in Chicago have made astounding gains in recent years because the Congress strikers have refused to settle for substandard wages.

Please join us Thursday, June 12th as we proudly stand with the strikers of the Congress Hotel to to make sure that all hotel workers across the city enjoy the new Chicago standard.



Congress Hotel—Bad for Chicago

Workers at the Congress Plaza Hotel have been on strike since June 2003, after hotel owners cut wages and benefits. Hundreds of customers complained of poor service and hazardous and unsanitary conditions.

Dozens of groups and conferences have moved or canceled their events after learning of the strike. Yet, the Congress still refuses to inform individual customers of the strike. Chicago visitors are not allowed to make an informed decision about having to cross the picket line or risk compromised service.

See what Congress Hotel customers had to say about their visit to Chicago:

"My room was not cleaned, the shower had mildew every where, in the cracks of tiles, on the floor of the shower, and my friend slipped and bumped her head. The hotel charged me for 2 extra days of valet and told me that they couldn't do anything to help.

Adam Kollo
Chicago, IL
6/15/2006

"Customer service terrible, had to change rooms. Didn't dare to try the food. No light working, stuff around the room from previous persons such as cigarettes, socks. Condition of room very bad. Since we arrived to this hotel we had a bad impression of Chicago. We will never come back here again!"

K. Miella
Spain
1/11/05

"The paint is chipping off the walls, the light fixture in the bathroom is broken and exposed. There are cracks up the wall and I wondered if the sheets were clean, or if they'd been changed. It’s definitely not what you'd expect from a hotel downtown."

Molly
Grand Rapids, MI
1/09/05

"Dirty. Like a cheap motel. 1978 Zenith, no-knobs TV. I would have been better off going to a Motel 6. It’s terrible. It’s on Michigan Avenue and its terrible."

Azaris Burrell
Maywood, IL
8/12/04

"The room they gave me was disgusting. It was intolerable. It was filthy and it smelled like mold and smoke. I had to switch to another room, but the worst of it was that I saw a rat. I saw a rat running around in the hotel! I called everyone in my country and told them not to come here. "

M. Sandrine
France
8/11/04

"The walls were dirty. The carpets were all dirty and everything looked really old. We didn’t have a good stay. When we walked into our room none of the lights worked. The electricity was out in the whole room. We wouldn’t have stayed here if we had known about the strike."

Jamie
Michigan
7/14/04

"Dumpy. Carpets are really dirty. Trash in room when we checked in – a can of peanuts and used soap in the bathroom. Cheaphotels.com told us the strike was over."

Lori Majestic
Northville, MI
6/26/04

"[Staff] talked nasty. Had to go to kitchen to demand food. Got the wrong orders. Eggs were toxic, horrible. Two hours old. Dishes from last night still in the restaurant. Restaurant was horrible. They never said anything about a strike."

David Bonchez, Stephanie Shipley, Johnnie Ferguson
Milwaukee, WI
6/11/04

There was even blood stains on the sheets which I did not see until I woke up in the morning. I couldn't get out fast enough. Then I had to climb up 8 flights of stairs after waiting 20 minutes for an elevator. Water was shut off to our room. People were passed out in the hallways. Glass was breaking from all areas of the hotel. Mayor Daley should stay here like Mayor Jane Byrne did with Cabrini Green [public housing projects]. I believe he would not like it, and would not like people coming to sightsee in Chicago to sleep in a place of such quality. Chicago is wonderful city with lots of beautiful places to see. UNFORTUNATELY NOT THE CONGRESS HOTEL."

Karen Brownlow
Chicago, IL
1/01/04

"The worst place in the states for customer service. Certainly the worst hotel experience I've had in the states. The website description of the hotel doesn't match the reality."

Chris Walster
Stafford, UK
11/18/03

"I love Chicago, love the location by the lake and park, museums, but the quality of the hotel and meeting rooms--seedy. A seedy hotel. Cockroach two inches long crawling on the wall in middle of day."

Tom Besser
Idaho
11/09/03

"Customer service no good. Waited two hours for a room. Very slow service, [food] did not taste good. Bell service terrible, I carried all my own bags. It’s my first time in Chicago. The city of Chicago [is] beautiful. The Congress Hotel was so bad, I will never come back."

Mario Costa
Praiagrande, Brazil
11/01/03

Read more comments! >>>

* The Congress Plaza Hotel in Chicago is not affiliated with the Hotel Congress in Tucson, AZ.

NEWS

Edwards Walks the Picket Line in Chicago

Hotel sues city, alderman

Congress Strikes Back

Congress Plaza Hotel sues alderman

Walking the Talk

COMMENTS
"There were no lights on the 7th floor. It was very scarey. There was a crack in the cieling of our room a little mold in the shower."
03/15/2008
"The bathroom in my room could have been cleaner, and the room had thin walls.  In the public bathrooms there was no soap, trash on the floor, and dirty toilets.  There was poor service in the lounge, and it was understaffed.  Nobody cleaned up a spill in the bar which was unsafe."
03/15/2008
"There was a large "dent" in the hallway entrance to room 406.  The paint and plaster was peeling in the closet. "
03/08/2008
"The TV didn't work.  Management was called and they never showed up. "
03/08/2008
"No ice in vending machines. No bottled water in vending machines. No lights in 6th floor hallway. "
03/06/2008
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