SEATTLE — Hotel workers have gone on strike on Thursday at Hilton’s Embassy Suites in Pioneer Square, calling for better wages, more hours, and year-round healthcare.
The strike officially began at 6:30 a.m. with a picket line set up at 255 S. King Street in Seattle, according to a news release.
Workers push for pre-pandemic staffing levels, protections from ICE
Unionized hotel workers apart of UNITE HERE Local 8, are fighting for a new union contract that includes protections from Immigration and Customs Enforcement, fair raises, and returning to pre-pandemic staffing levels.
“I am striking because I don’t get enough hours, and I don’t make enough money,” said Teresa Joseph, an Embassy Suites restaurant worker and Local 8 union leader. “I don’t have a full eight hours – only six. This isn’t livable within Seattle. I just want to be able to live in the city I work in. I take the metro from Kent every day because I can’t afford to fix my car.”
The union has asked the public not to sleep, eat, or meet at Embassy Suites Pioneer Square until the strike has concluded. Local 8 also noted that the MLK County Labor Council sanctioned the strike.
“Hotel workers who are welcoming visitors from around the world to Seattle shouldn’t have to work second and third jobs to support their families or worry about whether they will have healthcare over the slow months in winter,” said Anita Seth, Local 8 president. “And, as a majority immigrant workforce, they deserve the peace of mind of notification from their employer if ICE or DHS is on property.”
UNITE HERE Local 8 represents roughly 7,000 hospitality industry workers in Washington and Oregon. The workers’ positions include housekeepers, cooks, bartenders, bellmen, drivers, bussers, dishwashers, and food and beverage servers. Additionally, Local 8 represents 300,000 hotel, food service, and gaming workers across the U.S. and Canada.
KIRO 7 News has reached out to Hilton for comment about the strike and is what their spokesperson sent us:
“We make every effort to maintain a cooperative and productive relationship with the union that represents some of our Team Members at Embassy Suites by Hilton Seattle Downtown Pioneer Square, and we respect the rights of both the union and our Team Members to express their views.
We remain committed to negotiating in good faith toward a fair and reasonable agreement that benefits both our valued Team Members and our hotel.
We are also focused on providing our guests with our signature hospitality and have contingency plans in place to ensure operations continue to run as smoothly as possible."
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