Union workers at Seattle Hilton reach deal to end 85-day strike

Dive Brief:

After an 85-day strike, union workers at the Embassy Suites Pioneer Square in Seattle have ratified a new contract with Hilton, granting employees higher wages and other workplace protections, according to a news release from Unite Here Local 8 shared with Hotel Dive.
Beginning Jan. 1, 2027, housekeepers’ starting pay will be $31.03 an hour, an increase of 6.9% during the first year of the contract, per the release. Employees who work at least 1,250 hours a year (roughly 24 hours a week) will receive year-round healthcare coverage, and the union will have a “new enforcement mechanism to address emergency situations affecting immigrant workers at the hotel,” a first for Hilton across the country, per Local 8.
The contract marks an end to what the union claims is the longest hotel strike in Washington state history, which began in June when the FIFA World Cup tournament kicked off, per the release. After ratifying the agreement, hotel workers returned to work Tuesday, Sept. 15.

Dive Insight:

The strike began when the Embassy Suites hotel gave what workers claimed to be unsatisfactory raises and rejected their request to alert the property when federal immigration agents were on site.

Under the new contract, workers facing immigration-related issues can return to their job with seniority intact for up to two years after resolving issues with their work permit, per the release.

In addition to a higher starting pay, housekeepers will receive a 23.3% raise with the new contract over the course of the next four years. According to Unite Here, which represents about 7,000 workers in the hospitality industries of Oregon and Washington state, housekeepers at the Seattle hotel will be the “highest-paid union housekeepers” in the state of Washington.

The contract also gives tipped workers a $1 per hour raise above the Seattle minimum wage in addition to the tips they receive.

“This contract includes tremendous wins on fair wages, year-round healthcare, workload, and protections for immigrant workers,” Stefan Moritz, secretary-treasurer of Local 8, said in a statement.

The contract also includes reduced workloads for housekeepers. Additionally, front desk agents have secured the right to file grievances over workload issues, per the release.

“We have seen firsthand the importance of unity, collective bargaining, and workers’ rights in achieving our goals,” Fritzie Corral, an Embassy Suites breakfast attendant, said in a statement.

In a statement to Hotel Dive, a Hilton spokesperson said the agreement “reflects a collaborative outcome and our commitment to our valued Team Members.”

Local 8 did not respond to a request for comment by the time of publication.

Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson and King County Executive Girmay Zahilay, who both joined the Embassy Suites picket line on Labor Day, shared statements on Instagram celebrating the end of the strike and the passage of a new contract.

“This agreement is good for workers, good for the hotel, and good for our entire region,” Zahilay said in a statement.

The new contract comes as rising operational costs, including labor, continue to impact the hotel industry. Hotel owners and operators have previously expressed concerns about how rising wages might affect total revenue and hotel profitability.

In New York City in May, union members of the Hotel and Gaming Trades Council ratified a new contract with the Hotel Association of New York, averting strikes ahead of the World Cup.