LINCOLN PARK — Staff picketed outside one of Lincoln Park's toniest addresses over the weekend.
Nine members of the Unite Here union picketed outside their workplace, Belden-Stratford, 2300 N. Lincoln Park West, midday Sunday to call for a new contract. According to union spokesman Marcos Feldman, the workers had been working without a contract since 2011.
"For them, the fight's about health care and the fact that they haven't gotten raises in several years," Feldman said Monday.
Feldman added that 159 residents in the approximately 300-unit building had signed a petition in support of the staff, and "we had a couple of residents marching with us on the picket line" Sunday.
"With hundreds of apartments there are always a lot of repairs to make, and everybody knows where I live," said Alvaro Espinoza, a building manager. "But I’m happy to help the residents and I love my job."
The union members include concierge front-desk staff, maintenance workers and building managers. They're members of Unite Here, a union for hotel employees, because the Belden-Stratford used to be a luxury hotel. Other staff such as doormen and valets are covered under the Service Employees International Union.
"I have a medical condition that requires regular treatment," Espinoza said. "Right now I have affordable health insurance, but if we don’t settle a fair contract, I don’t know what will happen.”
Laramar Group did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
It's still one of the most well-known addresses in Lincoln Park, as the building also houses the restaurants Mon Ami Gabi, Naoki Sushi and Intro and boasts of having played host to visiting celebrities and dignitaries in its days as a luxury hotel.
