Chicago Union Targets Bride Over Hotel Choice—Harasses Guests, Sends Fake Wedding Invitations [Roundup]

by Gary Leff

News and notes from around the interweb:

  • Bride-to-be targeted by Chicago union over hotel she suggested guests stay at this is an insane story. The UNITED Here union got wind of her suggestion for a (non-union) DoubleTree, and they started calling her and her guests… They showed up at her job, too.

    They went as far as sending out mock invitations to some of her guests, saying, “Say I don’t to this union boycotted Hotel.”

    Lauren took down her website, removing the hotel and republishing it, this time making it private with a password, hoping all of it would end… Lauren then received a letter asking her to make the website public again or provide them with the password so they could see proof that the hotel was removed.

  • Other than that, Mrs. Lincoln, how was the play?

  • Tipping… a parody of Michael Jackson’s Billie Jean (HT: Jim)

  • Read your travel insurance policy!

  • Detachable seat! Not as bad as what happens in the 1992 King Missle song, though.

  • Gambling in moderation can be kind of exciting and fun, but it’s entertainment money (amounts of which are different for each person). There’s an expected loss. Do not consider doing this.

  • There’s been some recent speculation about why Delta has pulled down a bit of capacity in New York.

About Gary Leff

Gary Leff is one of the foremost experts in the field of miles, points, and frequent business travel - a topic he has covered since 2002. Co-founder of frequent flyer community InsideFlyer.com, emcee of the Freddie Awards, and named one of the "World's Top Travel Experts" by Conde' Nast Traveler (2010-Present) Gary has been a guest on most major news media, profiled in several top print publications, and published broadly on the topic of consumer loyalty. More About Gary »

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Comments

  1. That union sounds very evil.

    Re the flying seat. I’ve had that with almost every recent United, American Airlines and JetBlue flight I was on. It was always only my seat, and I am not a heavy guy at all. It is very annoying to sit and slide forward all the time.

  2. It wouldn’t be View from the (right) Wing if there wasn’t a daily/weekly union-bashing session. Pathetic. Consumers and workers both deserve better. It’s always been the 99.99% vs. the 0.01%, friends. Don’t fall for the culture-war nonsense.

  4. @1990: The Union’s actions here are absolutely indefensible and criminal.

    Go sickle and hammer somewhere else.

  5. Unions should be illegal.
    We handled them the right way back in the early 1900s….. With weapons.

  6. Unsafe seats get a pass as “approved” but a missing sticker/unlit “no smoking” sign, a damaged seat pocket, or pax standing during pushback end up documented by a safety regulator. The same regulator that can’t upgrade their 70+ year old tech stack that uses paper processes.

    The FAA has done some truly great work. Unfortunately, it’s clear that its best days are behind it as an organization.

    I want them to do their job well. Makes me upset and sad to see them adrift and rudderless (as has been the case for the last 20 years, at least).

  8. There must be some sort of multi-million dollar litigation against the union for this harassment. I was staying at a national branded hotel adjacent to LaGarbage Airport in New York. A union had a huge sign posted out on the sidewalk (on public property) with “SHAME ON XXXX. BOYCOTT THE YYYY HOTEL!!” I booked my room a month or so in advance. However, the “union workers” yelled and screamed at me as I turned on the property. I asked the desk clerk what was going on. The answer was that XXXX hadn’t worked at the hotel in almost two years. This was another case of, not only mistaken identity, but trying to intimidate me (who has no “dog in the fight”). Turns out that there’s a company that sets up these protesters at the behest of whatever union is upset. STUPID. I refueled my rental car in New Jersey. I pulled up to the pump, inserted my credit card and, as I started to pump the gas, some “crap (or stronger word for crap) for brains” runs out yelling at me that I wasn’t allowed to pump my own gas and shut the pump off. What the hell??? I asked if people in New Jersey weren’t competent to pump their own gas. I told him to pump only $1.00 and paid with 4 quarters! Unions…like herpes…the gift that keeps on taking.

  9. Everybody stand up and holler for the union
    Let’s give the brotherhood a cheer

    Everybody stand up and holler for the union
    Haven’t hit a lick all year.

  10. Unions suck. Case closed, the end.

    Waiting for Trump to ban unions for federal employees, the way Roosevelt recommended.

  12. So, 1990, you condone harassing a bride and her guests over her choice of hotel? Do you think she even knew it was non union? This is not union bashing, this is calling out unconscionable behavior. Maybe you’d feel differently if it were your daughter whose special day was ruined by this incredibly low class, trashy behavior.

  13. “Unions should be illegal.” No, they shouldn’t. That would violate the First Amendment. What should be illegal is government support of unions. The union laws that exist in this nation are in direct conflict with freedom and individual rights. Take the government out of the equation, and as usual, most of these problems wouldn’t exist.

    Unions operate by the use of force, either directly or implied. Any normal functioning adult should understand the problems that can occur when that element is present.

  14. Meet Scabby the union inflatable Rat! Yes it’s a real thing ( comes in a variety of sizes ) . I feel bad for the bride but it could have been even worse.

  15. I never know whether my hotel is union. Now, I’m going to investigate and boycott the union ones. It’s only fair given this level of harassment.

  17. Maryland… I forgot about the inflatable rat in front of my hotel! The government can’t make unions illegal. I’m not an attorney or a person specializing in Constitutional law, but the 1st Amendment does apply. I do agree that federal, state and local government employees should not be unionized. They are in a position to force their employer (the taxpayer, including themselves!) to cede to their demands that may not be in the best interest of the country. They KNOW what the salary and work rules are before signing on to a government job. Same thing with individual unionized businesses. The employee KNOWS what they are getting in to before they first walk in the door on day one. Unfortunately, unions are like herpes.

Comments are closed.