Trump Hotel to Open Amid Protest

By Margaret Lyons in News on Jan 30, 2008 5:49PM

If you're looking for a peaceful night's rest in a still-under-construction downtown Chicago skyscraper, then lucky you! The Trump International Hotel and Towers opens its doors today. Guest rooms are available now, with the restaurant opening early next month and both the spa and the hotel bar slated to open in March.

But if you hear people chanting while you're relaxing in your luxurious Trump suite, eating gold-plated caviar and watching Before the Bell on your 42-inch LCD HDTV, it may be the hotel workers' union picketing outside.

Officials of Local 1 of UNITE HERE say they are considering picketing the Chicago luxury hotel to express their frustration over the failure to reach a deal with the Trump Organization.Annemarie Strassel, a Local 1 spokeswoman, said talks with hotel officials broke off several months ago when the officials balked at including food and beverage workers in the potential bargaining unit. The local could not allow them to be excluded, she said, because these workers "are the heart and soul of Local 1."

All right, Donald. We may have understood why you fired Tiffany Fallon the first week of Celebrity Apprentice, but this is just plain silly. -- Jacy Wojcik

Photo by SSwan 172