SeaTac Rally for Hotel Justice! August 4th

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On July 22nd, more than 600 hospitality workers and their supporters rallied in front of the Seattle Westin Hotel, while 150 members gathered in front of the SeaTac Doubletree to demand livable wages, job security, safe working conditions, and respect on the job.

So what are we going to do after pulling off the biggest Downtown Seattle labor rally in recent memory?

The Biggest Rally in SeaTac History!

Thursday, August 4th

4:00pm to 5:30pm

SeaTac Doubletree Hotel

Join us at 4pm on the corner of International Blvd. and S. 188th St.

Hospitality Workers Rally in Seattle and SeaTac

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July 22nd, 2011

More than 600 hotel workers and their supporters  rallied in front of the Westin Hotel in Downtown Seattle this afternoon while 150 people gathered in front of the SeaTac Doubletree to support hotel workers who are fighting for livable wages, job security, safe working conditions, and respect on the job.

Two lanes of 5th Avenue between Stewart St. and Virginia St. were blocked for more than 2 hours as workers from Seattle-area hotels were joined by community supporters and labor groups, including members of AFTRA (the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists) who are staying at the Westin as part of their national convention.

This summer, union contracts covering over 1,400 workers have expired.  The affected hotels and restaurants include the Westin, Edgewater, Seattle Hilton, Washington Athletic Club, Space Needle, SeaTac Hilton, and the Doubletree.

Among other key issues, Seattle hotel workers are fighting for job security. “I have given many years, my body, and my soul to this hotel and now I am here to fight for my job. We are going to fight until we have our jobs, our union, and a fair contract,” said Aracely Cerezo García, a hotel housekeeper at the Hilton Seattle.

During the recession, hotels continued to remain profitable through a combination of layoffs, decreased work schedules and increased workloads for staff, burdening its low-wage workforce. According to the industry’s own projections, hotels will be returning to record profit levels by 2012.

“Seattle is a tourism destination, and hotels are recovering from the economic downturn,” says Erik Van Rossum, Secretary-Treasurer of UNITE HERE Local 8. “Will they lift up the workers that kept them in business, or will they keep their workers in a permanent recession? Hotel workers are now mobilizing to ensure they get a fair share of the economic recovery.”

Workers also demand the right to organize free of intimidation and harassment in non-union hotels. “We will not stand by while organizing rights are attacked in Wisconsin and elsewhere. By organizing non-union hotels, we will bring hospitality workers back into the middle class,” Van Rossum added.

Day of Action! Stand up for justice and economic prosperity for hospitality workers!

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This Friday, July 22nd – Two events, one struggle

SEATTLE – THE WESTIN HOTEL

5th and Virginia, Downtown Seattle

4pm-6pm

SEATAC – DOUBLETREE HOTEL

International Blvd and 188th

4:15pm-5:30pm

During the recession, hotels protected their profits by cutting staff and increasing workloads for already overburdened workers.

But this summer, fourteen hundred hotel workers whose union contracts have expired have a chance to join together to fight for a better life. Among them are immigrant, women and LGBT workers who are uniting to demand a share in the economic recovery that hotels have enjoyed.

Join the call for better jobs in King County’s hospitality sector! Together, let’s bring back the middle class.

For more information, contact:

Seattle: Jasmine Marwaha at [email protected] or 206-470-2993

SeaTac: Cindy Richardson at [email protected] or 206-470-2982

Workers, Summer Organizers Rally in Downtown Seattle

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July 15, 2011

Organizing Beyond Barriers

This summer, over 100 summer folks are spending their summer organizing internships at Unite Here locals around the U.S. and Canada. We are lucky to have four of them with us in Seattle. Here’s their first report:

“During our first week as summer organizers with UNITE HERE Local 8 in Seattle, we were thrown into action head on! On Thursday, July 7th we rallied with over 150 workers outside of the Westin hotel in downtown Seattle. We even made it on the local news!” To watch the video and read more, click here!

Workers and Community Tell Hilton Management: We Are One!

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On Thursday, June 30, workers from the Doubletree and Hilton hotels in SeaTac presented a petition to the Joint Director of Human Resources putting management on alert that they are ready to fight for better wages, benefits, and working conditions. They also let the Hilton corporation know that they will support their union brothers and sisters at the Vancouver Hilton in their struggle for a fair contract. Currently, workers in Vancouver, WA do not enjoy the same standards that all the other Northwest Hilton workers can rely on.

The Hilton hotels in Portland and Vancouver delegated their management on the same day. The delegation was an opportunity for all NW Hilton workers to show solidarity in their contract negotiations. Special thanks to the Washington State Labor Council, King County Jobs With Justice, Working Washington, and the Puget Sound Alliance for Retired Americans for their show of support at the delegation!