By Doug Cunningham

Chicago hotel workers represented by UNITE-HERE have won a settlement with Hilton and are continuing to talk with Hyatt and Starwood hotels. UNITE-HERE’s Lars Negstad says the Hilton contract is a victory for the workers.

[Lars Negstad 1]: “It's an excellent agreement with major improvements in not only in the wages and benefits but also workload issues, which is a major factor this year."

Negstad says the Chicago hotel workers are part of a national movement this year called Hotel Workers Rising.

[Negstad 2]: “Overall what we're lookin' to do is raise up hotel workers into the middle class. These are jobs that are gonna remain here in the United States and we need to make sure these jobs are going to be living wage jobs."

In addition to the contract reached with Hilton, Negstad says UNITE-HERE also scored an impressive card-check win organizing the hotel Amalfi in Chicago.

[Negstad 3]: "Ninety percent of the workers signed up in under an hour, so it was a fantastic organizing effort done under a card-check neutrality agreement."