Marriott Workers Reach Tentative Agreement for New Contract; Strikes Continue at Hilton and Hyatt
Hotel Workers Will Vote Today, December 19, to Ratify Tentative Agreement
WHO: Striking Marriott hotel workers – members of the UNITE HERE Local 2 union – will vote on whether to ratify a tentative agreement for a new contract. Approx. 1,000 Hilton and Hyatt workers remain on strike.
WHAT: Ratification vote for Marriott workers.
WHERE: Moscone Center South (Howard St. between 3rd St. and 4th St.), San Francisco, CA 94103. Picket lines continue 24/7 at the Grand Hyatt San Francisco (345 Stockton St.) and Hilton San Francisco Union Square (333 O’Farrell St.).
WHEN: Ratification vote December 19, 10am-6pm. Picket lines continue 24/7 at the Grand Hyatt San Francisco (345 Stockton St.) and Hilton San Francisco Union Square (333 O’Farrell St.).
WHY: After nearly three months on strike, hotel workers with the UNITE HERE Local 2 union reached a tentative agreement for a new contract at Marriott hotels in San Francisco. Marriott workers will vote today on whether to end their strike and ratify the agreement, which was unanimously recommended by a committee of approx. 100 rank-and-file workers. Approx. 1,000 Hilton and Hyatt workers remain on strike; today is Day 89 of the strike.
The tentative agreement is for a four-year contract to expire in 2028. It would cover approx. 2,000 Marriott workers, including 1,500 who’ve been on strike, and include:
- Preserving workers’ union health insurance plan, which provides affordable health care for workers and their families.
- Wage increases throughout the life of the contract.
- New protections against understaffing and workload increases.
“I can’t wait to vote yes on this tentative agreement, but the fight isn’t over,” said Yohanes Admokom, a banquet server at Marriott’s Westin St. Francis hotel. “This new contract will change my life, because I have two daughters with asthma, and our affordable health care means I can afford to buy their inhalers. Our whole union will keep fighting until Hilton and Hyatt workers get their contract, too.”
“I’m so proud of the Marriott workers, and I’m ready to keep striking for as long as it takes until we win at my hotel also because I need to protect my kids’ health care,” said Edwin Solis, a janitor at the Grand Hyatt San Francisco. “It’s so exciting that the first of these three hotel companies has agreed to a new contract, and we’ll stick together until the end.”
“Three months on the picket line have proven hotel workers’ determination to protect their health care, provide for their families, and help this city recover,” said Lizzy Tapia, President of UNITE HERE Local 2. “Marriott has stepped up and led the way. We look forward to meeting with Hilton and Hyatt in the days to come.
The strike began on Sept. 22 and grew to include 2,500 hotel workers. The tentative agreement with Marriott was reached late Wednesday night after five days of negotiations. If Marriott workers ratify their contract at the vote today, strikes will conclude at the Palace Hotel (Marriott Luxury Collection), San Francisco Marriott Marquis, San Francisco Marriott Union Square, and Westin St. Francis (Marriott), and 1,500 workers will return to their jobs on Saturday, Sept. 21.
Approx. 1,000 workers remain on strike at the Grand Hyatt San Francisco and Hilton San Francisco Union Square.
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UNITE HERE Local 2 is the hospitality workers’ union in San Francisco, San Mateo County, and the East and North Bay, representing over 15,000 workers in hotels, restaurants, tech cafeterias, sports stadiums, and at SFO and OAK.