On Day 40 of Historic Hilton Americas Hotel Strike, Workers Reach an Agreement
HOUSTON, Texas – Today, the first hotel strike in Texas history came to an end after strikers voted to ratify a new contract with Hilton Americas-Houston. The 40-day strike, which was the first hotel strike led by union members in the state of Texas, has brought forth significant gains raising the standard for hotel workers in the city.
Today’s agreement secured historic wage increases making Hilton Americas-Houston housekeepers, laundry attendants, and stewards the first to earn a $20 minimum wage with guaranteed wage increases that will bring workers to a $22 minimum by the end of the contract. The new agreement also provides strong job security protections, improved housekeeping workloads, and job safety raising the standard for hotel workers struggling to survive in one of the most expensive cities in the U.S.
“This victory is an attestation of our members’ strength, their will, and determination,” said Franchesca Caraballo, Texas Chapter President of UNITE HERE Local 23. “They held the line for over a month in the heat and rain, as they fought to secure better standards after being left behind for so long. It was an incredibly hard fight, and the outcome reflects just that. Now we expect all the players in Houston’s hospitality industry to follow suit and pay workers a living wage.”
“These workers put it all on the line for themselves, their families, and their communities — and they won,” said Texas AFL-CIO President Rick Levy. “In Texas and across the South, we have just as much right to dignity, health care, and a living wage as workers anywhere. This UNITE HERE Local 23 victory proves what we have been saying: When workers fight and organize, we win — especially in Texas!”
Hotel workers gained the support of the Texas AFL-CIO, the Texas Gulf Coast Area Labor Federation, and dozens of allies whose donations funded the hardship fund that supported strikers’ ability to afford rent and utilities as they became due. Strikers were also uplifted by Houston’s political class including city council members, the county commissioners’ office, Texas state representatives, and congresspeople.
In addition to hotel workers at the Hilton Americas, UNITE HERE Local 23 represents Houston hospitality workers at George R. Brown Convention center, Marriott Marquis and the George Bush International Airport, where union contracts expired between October 1 and December 1 this year.
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The Texas AFL-CIO is the state labor federation consisting of more than 250,000 affiliated union members and advocates for working people in Texas. Learn more at texasaflcio.org
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.