I used to walk by the strikers at Congress Hotel every morning on the way to class at Columbia College Chicago. For many of my peers, the hotel strikers were a punch line because, to them, they never looked like they were doing anything. But, they strike year-round and in below freezing temperatures.

Most of the strikers are Hispanic like this man. He writes:

Since 2003, I am a Congress Hotel Striker. I have been fighting 8 years for a dignified job but we seem to be invisible to the rich and important. As you see, I am the 99%, stepped on and forgotten while the 1% get richer and are proud of it.

Not only have people like this man been stepped on but Democratic politicians like Barack Obama have exploited the strikers, made them think they were on the strikers’ side by joining the picket line for a day and then when they got into office sided with corporate interests and the wealthy at the expense of the very people who helped make them seem like candidates of the people.