Hyatt protests point to renewed intersection between religion, unions By Julie Wernau, Chicago Tribune November 20, 2010 http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ct-biz-1121-religious-unions-20101120,0,3502147.story When Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt, he wasn't just making history, he was organizing a labor movement, said the Rev. Lillian Daniel. "It was the very first strike, and they won," the Glen Ellyn pastor boomed during an interfaith prayer service of union members held outside the Hyatt Regency Chicago. Hyatt's owners, locked in contract negotiations with Unite Here Local 1, increasingly are being criticized by religious leaders siding with the hotel workers. Such protests illustrate the labor movement's increasing propensity to team picket signs with prayer shawls. In September 2009, two dozen religious leaders joined the local chapter of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees in a 36-hour vigil in solidarity with employees at Resurrection Health Care, the largest Catholic health care system in Chicago. In June of this year, a delegation of more than 100 religious leaders stormed Hyatt's first shareholders meeting, singing a psalm. The movement is larger than Chicago. This year more than 70 religious leaders joined with union leaders from the American Federation of Teachers to mobilize on several fronts, from immigration reform to civic engagement, as part of a task force called Faith in Action. For the full story see: http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ct-biz-1121-religious-unions-20101120,0,3502147.story ____________________________________________ PortsideLabor aims to provide material of interest to people on the left that will help them to interpret the world and to change it. Submit via email: [log in to unmask] Submit via the Web: http://portside.org/submittous3 Frequently asked questions: http://portside.org/faq Sub/Unsub: http://portside.org/subscribe-and-unsubscribe PS Labor Archives: http://portside.org/archive Contribute to Portside: https://portside.org/donate