Chicago city officials and union leaders are closing in on new contract deals which would stretch over the next 10 years, ensuring labor peace as the city bids for the right to hose the 2016 Summer Olympics. The tentative agreements would affect more than 9,000 workers, including most of the city's trade workers. Though usually city labor contracts are set at 5-year deals, Mayor Richard Daley has set a goal of extending the contracts in an effort to make Chicago's bid for the 2016 Games more attractive.
See "City near deal with 34 unions", Gary Washburn, Chicago Tribune, August 6, 2007