Workers are fighting for at least $23 an hour to afford rising costs in Houston; A strike could be called by the negotiating committee if an agreement isn’t reached

HOUSTON—Convention Center workers employed by Levy Premium Food Service at the George R. Brown Convention center have voted to authorize a strike for the first time today. A strike could be called at any point. Workers are calling for wages of at least $23 an hour in a new union contract. Levy workers’ contract expired on September 30. In addition to fair wages, Levy workers are fighting for fair schedules, fair workloads, and respect.

According to Houston First Corporation, the owner and operator of the George R. Brown Convention Center, visitors to the City of Houston spent a record $11 billion in 2024, an 8.6% increase from the previous year. Phase 1 of Houston First’s plans for the expansion of the downtown convention center are projected to generate $20 billion in new spending in the coming decades. Hospitality workers who welcome visitors to the city are demanding a fair share of the increased income coming into the city of Houston. The lowest paid Levy worker at the Convention Center makes $16 an hour.

“At most convention centers, servers rely on their tips as income. Unfortunately, I don’t make tips at the GRB. I’ve had to rely on credit cards to pay my household bills and use that money to buy food for my family because the salary isn’t sufficient. I voted yes to authorize a strike because a fair wage of at least $23 would ease my financial situation and that of my coworkers. We won’t back down until hospitality workers like me are respected in Houston,” said Adriana Rodriguez, a Banquet Server at the George R. Brown Convention Center.

“By taking this vote today, the convention center workers are sending a clear message to Levy and Houston First that they are prepared to fight for livable wages. Houston is often labeled as a world class city, meanwhile the people who make tourism possible are scraping to get by,” said Franchesca Caraballo, Texas Chapter President of UNITE HERE Local 23. “Workers employed by a subsidiary of a multi-million-dollar company should not be worried about if they can afford to pay their bills.”

In addition to hotel workers at the Hilton Americas, UNITE HERE Local 23 represents Houston hospitality workers at the Marriott Marquis and the George Bush International Airport, where union contracts expired between October 1 and December 1 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.