Labor

As business slows at the Palmer House Hilton Hotel every winter, Chiquitta Rivers, 26, a house attendant, is laid off and loses her health insurance. Rivers lives with diabetes and being uninsured makes obtaining medicine difficult. “When I get laid off, I don’t have health insurance and I can’t take my insulin,” she said. “I can’t see my endocrinologist. It is really hard for me to [pay] out of pocket for my medicine, especially if I’m not working.” On Sept. 7, she went on strike with hotel workers across Chicago, demanding year-round health insurance, healthier work conditions and increased wages.