Chicago Hotel workers strike, but are they in the right?

www.chicagotribune.com...

Normally I'm all for the working guy, too many companies just rake these people over the coals. I've been to many if not all of the hotels listed on this article. They seriously make a bloody fortune. The fees they charge, have only gone up astronomically.

So what's the problem?
"the union wants all employees, regardless of tenure, to have uninterrupted health insurance, even during the slow months when they are not working at the hotels."
www.chicagotribune.com...

I do have a problem with this. If you are not working at the hotels, you should not get any benefits. I think it is pretty simple. I think if workers really don't like it, they shouldn't strike. They should get new jobs. People looking for jobs should avoid this type of arrangement. It is a job seekers market. Eventually the hotels will have to do something different.
Maybe i'm out of the loop with this type of employment. How is this done with other seasonal type work?

I get where you are coming from. The only thing I could debate you with is teachers. Do they have insurance during the summer? idk

a reply to: watchandwait410

Some teachers do lose their health insurance! It all depends on their contract.
Thats where I think this is different. There is no contract saying they will be hired back for sure.

They want money for nothing, and chicks for free!

Don't we all.

Idiots.

They'll make good front line warriors for the socialist meat grinder should their cause turn to rebellion.

a reply to: JAGStorm

Tricky one huh?

The nature of the job tends to see many come and go but plenty of people are full-time in a hospitality role.

What's the pay like for such jobs in the US?

There's certainly a seasonal element to the line of work but them experience is a big player in regards to offering a good service.

Sometimes it's worth keeping good staff even if it'll cost you.

a reply to: JAGStorm

If that is the case with teachers then I guess they shouldn't.

That would suck though if they get sick or are sick and getting treatment only to lose it and not have enough money to pay for the treatment... tough choice. So I guess the choice is to be heartless or not heartless.

Healthcare is so messed up.

a reply to: JAGStorm

What happened to the "Affordable Care Act™"? Where everyone was getting FREE healthcare??

Or are these hotel workers like the ones Trump hires, and they're all from Romania?

a reply to: RAY1990

www.chicagotribune.com...
"Though workers with seniority are employed year-round and get insurance year-round"

Seems the rest are considered expendable?
I'm finding that good service is not considered an important thing much anymore.


The salary range is pretty wide, and seems to depend on the quality of hotel. I've seen some say $10 and some at $18. I can tell you for a fact that would be very difficult to live on in Chicago!

a reply to: JAGStorm


Fine.

I demand a CEO retirement package from Apple even though I'm not a CEO nor am currently employed at Apple.

Unions are for commies and the lazy. They always have been and always will be. The whole mindset is evil thinking and selfserving.
If you agree to work for someone/or an entity, for "this much"?.. You do what you said you'd do!.. It's that simple! Unless you're a liar, selfish and as greedy as the "rich boss" that the "union" is claiming to "protect" you from?

Unions have become a "business" in this country. And a sickening, pathetic one at that.

When you get hired at a job, you don't know what you're signing up for? Why did you apply? Unions are for lazy socialist, always have been. There's no law saying you gotta stay there.

I've worked in a few "union" shops. I wasn't impressed by the work ethics.

originally posted by: murphy22


I've worked in a few "union" shops. I wasn't impressed by the work ethics.

So You worked in a "few" but they "ALL" suck.. Are You sure You aren't typing about organized religion™?

I worked in Law Enforcement, there is no way any city would be able to hire a police/fire without a Union.. Make sure You get a roster w/working phone numbers of other 'scabs' so when the garbage starts stacking up in Your neighborhood You can get 'volunteers'...

Better tell the wife & kids that You'll now be working the weekends, all of them and TheCorp™ can make You work all sorts of hours w/no extra pay...

That'll teach the commies!!!

They say in the article "the slow months". What does it mean 3 months or 6?

What they should do is pay for the insurance the months they are getting paid, paying the premiums when they are working. It will mean less money in their pocket but at least they will have insurance year round.

… idk did I explain that right?

so pay lets say 1200 dollars for yearly coverage instead of 600 dollars for when they work.



lol I don't think I know how insurance works.

Yes they should. As a former teacher. The school year is what it is. And a good dedicated teacher puts in long hours and weekends during the school year. It’s already far too hard to incentivize smart, highly educated, and motivated people to stay in K-12 ed. There’s already a well known brain drain or failure to join that field in the first place.

a reply to: JAGStorm

I can't access the link on my phone, just comes with with EU regulations jargon.

Seems the rest are considered expendable? 
I'm finding that good service is not considered an important thing much anymore. 

That's often the case, though I wouldn't personally encourage the practice of keeping someone "underemployed" it does often turn into such practices, here in the UK at least. But then most people don't do this line of work as a career choice.

Seems a shame about the quality of service, it was always the residents I enjoyed catering to and seeing repeat custom always put a smile on my face... We did something right.

The salary range is pretty wide, and seems to depend on the quality of hotel. I've seen some say $10 and some at $18. I can tell you for a fact that would be very difficult to live on in Chicago!

In comparison to the UK that's good pay lol, well, mostly. Lots to weigh up considering that though.

Seniority should be earned not granted, it's a system ripe for abuse. But yeah it's the expendables that are often overworked in the first place in this line of work, they're easily replaced. As you said it's good money for the owners of the hotels, can't help but think they could do more for their workers but that's just my opinion, as mentioned employment in hotels can often be a revolving door anyways.

Sad man, I've known a few Americans get screwed on medical cover. That $10-18 per hour quickly disappears when you've got serious bills to pay, add that to not being fully employed or entitled to extra support then yeah... Not really good is it?

Strike and potentially be replaced or continue and potentially ruin yourself financially if the worst were to happen. I don't see a good choice tbh.

Oh bull. They haven’t always been.

They started due to no workers rights, no days off, 12-16 hour days, child labor, no benefits, etc. Meanwhile, corporations already were well organized with well paid lobbyists with the support of law makers, police, etc. Unions were the only way to create a credible counter force to that.

Are some unions now playing a negative role at times? Yes.

Leave your anti worker rhetoric for the Koch brother and Walton family conference.

a reply to: murphy22

Imagine if the U.S. Military could form a "union"? Then get to "pick" and "choose" a job/mission,...or "we'll strike"?
They do it because they said/agreed they'd do it!
These "teachers"/(government employees) holding the citizens and "children" as a "bargaining tool"... How moral of them.

a reply to: JimNasium

You got a problem working "weekends"?

originally posted by: murphy22
Imagine if the U.S. Military could form a "union"? Then get to "pick" and "choose" a job/mission,...or "we'll strike"?
They do it because they said/agreed they'd do it!
These "teachers"/(government employees) holding the citizens and "children" as a "bargaining tool"... How moral of them.

Imagine a world where industry, the wealthy, and corporations had most of the capital, hiring power, paid off politicians, and a revolving door with Washington... I can’t imagine it. Oh wait.

originally posted by: RAY1990
Sometimes it's worth keeping good staff even if it'll cost you.

...which happens and is why those striking are idiots. If you work in seasonally affected work, you work hard enough to bring positive attention to yourself, adding value to your continued employment, and those companies/employers usually find somewhere for you to stay in their employ during down times and slow periods.

This striking nonsense is simply people working a con. Just because they are in the employ of the hotel shouldn't magically grant them anything beyond whatever hourly rate they agree to work for. This is the ridiculous side of the union racket and why the nation as a whole needs to become a Right to Work state.

This will all be funny when in 50 years nobody will have a job because of AI and humanoid robots can do what everyone does for 1/10 the price. By then though I think everyone will have free insurance because there will be no other way.

anyway until then... Union job is safety, and I like safety. We need more of that instead being at the whim of a mad man (Koch brothers and company) that steps on the little guy.