“I want to commend the members of UNITE HERE Local 1 and Marriott for staying at the table, working in good faith and reaching an agreement that reflects their shared interests. This agreement is a significant step forward for the union, the hotels and the city and I am confident it can light a path forward to ending the labor action at other hotels in the city. Chicago is on pace of another year of record tourism, and the hard-working men and women who keep our hotels up and running are an important part of that progress. The fact that workers and their families will now receive health-care year round will make an enormous difference in their lives, and we look forward to Marriott workers getting back to taking care of visitors to the City of Chicago.”

New data released this week shows Chicago is on pace to set new records for tourism, as the city continues to add jobs in the tourism and hospitality industry. At the end of August, Chicago hotel demand in terms of rooms occupied grew 5.8%. Today Chicago’s tourism industry supported an estimated 146,500 jobs, a 17% increase since Mayor Emanuel took office.

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