The cooks, housekeepers, bellmen and other employees picketed the hotel for about two hours before returning to work. They've been working without a contract since their last agreement expired one year ago and are unhappy that some workers have been laid off while the others are left with workloads they say are too heavy.
"We are fed up, that our members are laid off, that the work is increasing that our members... are starving and losing their homes and going into bankruptcy while the work is increasing every day at this hotel," said Karen Kent, exec v.p. Unite Here Local 1.
Starwood Hotels, which manages the Sheraton Chicago, has issued a statement saying, "We regret and are very disappointed the union decided to take this unannounced action. We hope that the union will come to the bargaining table and resolve the contract without any disruption to our associates and to our customers."
