10/08/2009

Now That's the Chicago Way

The City of Chicago, fresh off its Olympic loss to Rio, has decided to lose its mind altogether courtesty of the City Council, which is considering (and my brain hurts just thinking about this) an ordinance requiring hotels operating in Chicago to inform guests if there's a strike.

Are the police going to arrest the GM of a non-compliant, or insufficiently compliant hotel? How much are hotels going to waste trying to comply? How much is the city going to waste verifying compliance? I could go on and on questioning and complaining, but I think you get the point.

BTW, love this quote from hotel worker Ellen Maloney "There's not a scab that can cover or do the same job a professional can." Speaking as a former scab, I can say from personal experience and with great conviction there are many, many scabs who can perform at a materially higher level than the "professionals" (which of course is a euphemism for "union member").

I also love Alderman Munoz's describing the ordinance, which Mayor Daley has previously opposed and the city law department believes is legally dubious, as a "consumer protection." Just like "family friendly," it's another unassailable, politically potent but braindead phrase that means whatever the speaker wants it to mean.

Really, are the big red shirts unclear?

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

There's 2 sides to every coin. While I don't travel a lot, when I do, I've made a reservation and I don't and can't make alternate reservations. Since I probably won't have time to find another hotel after arriving and finding that services I expected may not be available due to a strike, I would certainly like to know IN ADVANCE that the hotel I'm selecting may not be the best place to stay. So, I have to disagree with you on this one.

The Daily Pander said...

Why don't you just ask when you make a reservation? Should a hotel really be required to tell you it's "not the best place to stay?" They explicitly advertise to make you think it is the best place to stay. You're a grown-up, figure out for yourself if it's "not the best place to stay."

The ordinance isn't intended for your convenience. It's intended for management's inconvenience