Hotel Workers Win "Groundbreaking" Contracts

(Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO)After weeks of picketing hotels across the city and months of contract negotiations, area hotel workers have won "groundbreaking" contracts. For weeks, hotel workers with bright “Unite Here” signs have popped up outside hotels across the metro area as Unite Here Local 25 battled for far-reaching goals at over twenty hotels. “We had five goals for this negotiation round” Local 25 Executive Secretary-Treasurer John Boardman told Union City “and we reached them all.” As of today, Local 25 members at 17 area hotels have successfully won their first long-term -- 5.5 years -- contract, healthcare security for the entire contact, a 27% wage increase and a 50% increase in pension contributions over the life of the contract. In addition to these substantial wins, Boardman says the local was able to get “groundbreaking language” in the contracts that will increase protection for immigrant workers against unfair treatment and further protect all workers from workplace abuse. And though a contract ratification vote is set for Wednesday, Local 25 is not quite done; with just seven more hotels still in negotiations, Boardman is “hopeful we’ll get another few hotels in by Wednesday.” - photo of Local 25 picket at the Marriott Wardman Park hotel on April 19, 2012 by Chris Garlock