Hundreds of union hotel workers walked off the job Friday at six Chicago hotels, including the Waldorf Astoria Chicago, days before the Chicago Marathon draws a flood of visitors to the city.

The strike follows a strike-authorization vote last month in which more than 7,000 employees across 46 hotels backed a walkout. Friday's action involved a portion of those workers, meaning the dispute could still widen to additional properties if negotiations stall.

The timing puts labor pressure directly on Chicago's hotel operators during one of the highest-occupancy weekends of the year. Marathon weekend reliably fills downtown rooms at premium rates, and a partial strike at six properties — among them the luxury Waldorf Astoria — forces managers to weigh continuity of guest service against the cost of replacement labor.

What does this change for Chicago hotel operators?

For now, the strike covers a fraction of the 46 hotels where workers hold strike authorization. That gap between authorization and action gives both sides room to bargain, but it also leaves 39 additional properties exposed to walkouts on short notice. Any escalation would land in the middle of peak autumn demand, when group business and marathon-driven occupancy overlap.

The 7,000-vote authorization figure signals broad support across the union's Chicago hotel membership, not a single-property dispute. Whether the remaining hotels stay on the job will depend on how quickly management and the union reach terms before the next high-demand window arrives.