About 85% of workers represented by UNITE HERE Local 1 voted to authorize a strike after more than 7,000 workers across 46 Chicago hotels were left without a contract as of Sept. 1. The workers include room attendants, cooks, dishwashers and other hospitality workers.

Before the pandemic, 14.6% of all Latina workers in the U.S. worked in the hospitality sector, according to the Economic Policy Institute. Two such workers who lost their jobs during the health crisis share their experiences.