As of 6:00 am on Labor Day, UNITE HERE Local 23 workers at the hotel are on strike to fight for higher wages and respect

WHO: Housekeepers, cooks, laundry attendants, banquet servers and other hotel workers employed by the Hilton Americas-Houston on strike
WHAT: Hotel staff on strike, wearing red union t-shirts and holding picket signs, will be picketing the hotel
WHERE: Hilton Americas-Houston, 1600 Lamar St, Houston, TX 77010

BACKGROUND:
This Labor Day, workers at the Hilton Americas-Houston have walked out on strike to protest wages that are not keeping up with the cost of living. Holding signs that read “One Job Should Be Enough,” workers will maintain picket lines for 9 days, ending their strike on September 10. This is the first strike of hotel workers in Houston’s recent history.

Workers are calling for at least $23 an hour in a new union contract. Hilton workers’ contract expired on June 30, and they have been in bargaining with their employer since June. In addition to fair wages, Hilton workers are fighting for fair schedules, fair workloads, and respect.

According to data analyzed by Houston First Corporation, the city’s destination marketing organization, Houston broke records last year for number of visitors, air passengers, and hotel revenue; overall hotel revenue increased 15.5% to $3 billion in 2024. Yet the city’s hospitality workers have not seen the benefits of that boom, and report struggling to pay their bills. Workers say they are the people who make tourism possible for the city’s economy and are fighting so they do not have to prioritize among paying rent, feeding their families, and meeting their many other financial obligations. Workers voted to authorize a strike on August 13.

“Workers have decided to make the ultimate sacrifice by striking this Labor Day because one job should be enough to live on in Houston,” said Franchesca Caraballo, Texas Chapter President of UNITE HERE Local 23. “For far too long, working people have had to struggle to make it, and the workers at the Hilton Americas-Houston are no exception. Workers are on strike to send the message that they are not backing down in their demand for at least $23 an hour.”

Workers previously held actions and picket lines to raise awareness, including notifying hotel guests of the pending labor dispute. Hotels rarely warn guests about the possibility of labor disputes; travelers sometimes learn of one only upon arriving at their hotel and being met by a boisterous picket line. The union’s site Fair Hotel.org makes clear the labor status of hotels so travelers, families, and professionals can avoid hotels with active picket lines or strikes and stay in control of their plans.

In addition to workers at the Hilton Americas, UNITE HERE Local 23 represents Houston hospitality workers at the Marriott Marquis, George R. Brown Convention Center and the George Bush International Airport, where union contracts expire between October 1 and December 1 of this year.

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UNITE HERE Local 23 represents 28,000 hospitality workers from universities and museums to airport concessions, hotel and parking attendants. Local 23 members are active in Georgia, Mississippi, Charlotte, Nashville, DC, Boise, Indiana, Denver, New Orleans, Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, and Virginia.