About 650 concessions, food and beverage workers at the United Center have voted to authorize a strike, according to their union, Unite Here Local 1.

Ninety-eight percent of the food and beverage workers at the United Center voted to strike, according to a news release from Local 1 late Tuesday. The union gave no information on timing other than to say a strike could begin “at any moment.” The workers are scheduled to return to the bargaining table Feb. 8 and 16, according to their employer, Chicago-based food service provider Levy.

The Bulls have games against the Charlotte Hornets and Portland Trail Blazers scheduled for Thursday and Saturday. Adam Sandler is slated to perform Sunday, with Bulls and Blackhawks games to follow next week.

Levy operates at sports and entertainment venues around the country, including both Wrigley and Guaranteed Rate fields. Workers have described access to health care and higher wages as key issues amid contract negotiations with the company. In December, Levy employees filed complaints alleging a range of labor law violations by the company with city, state and federal agencies. Those complaints remain under investigation.

In a statement after the strike vote, Levy said it was “discouraged” by the vote “since there is a fair and generous proposal on the table.”

“Our current wage and economic proposal is the most significant in the history of our strong, working relationship with Local 1. Throughout the process, Levy has made several substantial concessions while the union has moved very little from its initial economic proposal in over a year,” the company said.

Workers told the Tribune last week that access to health care was a major issue for Levy employees at the United Center, describing a system in which most workers lacked health care and others received it only sporadically. Jamie O’Neill, who manages a concessions stand at the United Center, told the Tribune she did not qualify for health insurance from Levy and now pays for her own coverage out-of-pocket. O’Neill, 60, said she struggles with a foot issue she let go untreated for years because she did not have insurance.

“It just progressively got worse, causing me more surgeries and more pain and more problems,” she told the Tribune last week.

Dan Abraham, organizing director for Unite Here Local 1, said workers had not received raises other than mandatory increases in the minimum wage since January 2020. They had been working on an extended contract until it expired in September, Abraham said.

Levy said its proposal includes a guaranteed starting hourly rate of at least $20 for non-tip workers, the addition of a tip guarantee for tip workers and ratification bonuses. In a letter to employees Jan. 30, Levy said its new health care proposal would expand access to health care for some workers, including by allowing workers to pool hours worked at the United Center and Wrigley and Guaranteed Rate fields in order to qualify for insurance.

Levy said that should a strike occur, it would continue to provide food and beverage service at the United Center. In its letter, the company told workers it would bring in temporary employees and could ask supervisors to work if union workers were on strike.

Regulators for the city’s Office of Labor Standards, the Illinois Department of Labor and the National Labor Relations Board are investigating a slew of complaints against Levy alleging various violations of labor law filed by workers in December. In one case, workers alleged four dishwashers at the United Center had worked for 35 days straight in violation of the state’s One Day Rest in Seven Act. Workers have also accused Levy of violating the city’s Fair Workweek Ordinance and federal labor law.

Levy said last week it was “responding” to workers’ claims. “The well-being of our team members and continued compliance with the law are our top priorities,” the company said in a statement.