Labor struggles and stories are not just history. In Chicago, hotel workers at the Congress Hotel have been on strike for over seven years.

Many of these workers are immigrants.  They are seeking better wages, health care and representation through a union. When their contract expired, Congress hotel workers, members of HERE (Hotel Employees & Resturant Employees Union), voted to walk off the job and refuse to work until their contract was signed. This is called a strike. They established a picket line, a daily march in front of the hotel on public property, to remind everyone about their grievance. Often other workers come and march with them to show their support. The workers also encourage consumers to boycott, that is, not patronize or do business, with the Congress Hotel.