Labor & Employment Law

600 Hilton Chicago Employees on Three-Day Strike?and More Bargaining News

By Belinda Boyce

Some 600 Hilton Chicago hotel employees are waging a three-day strike, and more news from the “Bargaining Digest Weekly.” The AFL-CIO Collective Bargaining Department delivers daily, bargaining-related news and research resources to more than 1,300 subscribers. Union leaders can register for this service through our website, Bargaining@Work.

WORK STOPPAGES
UNITEHERE!, Hilton Chicago: Members of UNITEHERE! Local 1 launched a three-day strike Saturday at Hilton Chicago, joining their brothers and sisters striking at Hilton hotels in San Francisco and Honolulu. More than 8,000 hotel workers in Chicago have been working without a contract since August 2009.

NEGOTIATIONS
IAM, Hawker Beechcraft: Machinists (IAM) members in Wichita, Kan., rejected a seven-year contract offer from Hawker Beechcraft that would have cut wages by 10 percent while increasing health care contributions. Workers felt pressured to approve the deal, with Hawker threatening to move out of state; however, many who voted “No” say they expect it’s just a matter of time before the company leaves Kansas anyway.

Multiple, Disney World: Disney World workers in Orlando, Fla., voted to reject a 42-month contract. The 20,000 workers are represented by six unions, which comprise the Services Trades Council.

AFT, Baltimore City Public School System: Teachers in Baltimore, Md., rejected a contract that included a new teacher evaluation system. Leaders of the Baltimore Teachers Union (AFT) plan to address members’ concerns over terms of the deal and to hold another ratification vote Oct. 28.

SETTLEMENTS
IBEW, Essex County: In New Jersey, members of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 1158 ratified a three-year contract with Essex County. The agreement covers 1,100 mainly administrative workers and follows the ratification of a three-year contract by 650 county welfare workers, members of the Communications Workers (CWA) Local 1081. Before these pacts were reached, 26 county unions had been without contracts since December 2007.

Disclaimer: This information is being provided for your information only.  As it is compiled from published news reports, not from individual unions, we cannot vouch for either its completeness or accuracy; readers who desire further information should directly contact the union involved.

Full post as published by AFL-CIO NOW BLOG on October 18, 2010 (boomark / email).