Hilton Americas-Houston Employees Extend Strike for Higher Wages

As employees of the Hilton Americas-Houston hotel enter week three of a strike for higher wages and better working conditions, two major events originally scheduled at the Lamar Street venue have been postponed.

The Harris County Democratic Party moved its annual gala, originally planned for September 20, to late January, pending “a satisfactory outcome” of the strike. Mayor John Whitmire postponed his State of the City address, scheduled for September 25, indefinitely.

“I urge both parties to negotiate in good faith and reach a fair, reasonable agreement,” Whitmire said in a statement. “Workers are essential to our city, and I will always insist that they be treated with dignity and respect.”

About 400 housekeepers, cooks, laundry attendants, banquet servers, and other hotel workers employed by Hilton Americas-Houston are represented by UNITE HERE Local 23 union and began their strike on Labor Day. The picket line was expected to end last week but was extended through September 20 as negotiations continue.

The workers are demanding a minimum wage of $23 an hour and manageable workloads. Officials said the strike is the first for Texas hospitality workers in recent history.

Officials with Hilton Americas corporate office did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but a spokesperson said when the strike began that they “remain committed to negotiating in good faith to reach a fair and reasonable agreement that is beneficial to both our valued team members and to the hotel.”

The hotel is owned by the city’s marketing organization Houston First Corp. and is connected to the George R. Brown Convention Center. The Texas Association of School Boards conference was held at the convention center September 12-14, and guests were housed at the Hilton. Organizers said they plan conventions years in advance and were made aware of the strike when it launched but believed it would be over in time for their event.

At a press conference on September 13, Harris County Democratic Party Chair Mike Doyle said his team was willing to postpone the largest Democratic Party fundraiser in Texas while the dispute is resolved. Doyle was joined by union members, hotel employees, and state Reps. Gene Wu, D-Houston, and Jon Rosenthal, D-Houston.

“By postponing this event, we are standing together with working people in our community and sending a clear message about our values,” Doyle said.

Franchesca Caraballo, Texas chapter president of UNITE HERE Local 23, referred to data showing Houston broke records last year for hotel revenue, increasing more than 15 percent to $3 billion.

“Yet the city’s hospitality workers have not seen the benefits of that boom, and report struggling to pay their bills,” union officials said in a press release. “Workers say they are the people who make tourism possible for the city’s economy and are fighting so they do not have to prioritize among paying rent, feeding their families, and meeting their many other financial obligations.”

One job should be enough to live on in Houston, Caraballo said.

“For far too long, working people have had to struggle to make it, and the workers at the Hilton Americas-Houston are no exception,” she said. “Workers are on strike to send the message that they are not backing down in their demand for at least $23 an hour.”

Willy Gonzalez, secretary/treasurer and a primary negotiator for the union, spoke at Saturday’s press conference and thanked those who have postponed events to stand in solidarity with the hospitality workers.

“These workers are taking a stand,” Gonzalez said. “Why are we fighting? The hospitality industry in Houston has exploded. They’re going to expand the convention center. They want to build more hotels. They had a record year last year. But what happened? Houston First and the Hilton forgot about who made that industry succeed: these workers.”

In the hospitality industry, employees refer to the “front of the house and the back of the house,” Gonzalez said, referencing the difference between those who interface with the public and those who work behind the scenes.

“These workers are coming from the back of the house to the front and saying, ‘You will hear our voices.’ You don’t always get a chance to make history,” Gonzalez said. “In the big, great state of Texas, these are the first hotel workers to ever go on strike and demand the respect and dignity they deserve.”

Hilton housekeeper Eileen Alvarez said she’s been employed at the hotel for two years and has an infant who has a birth defect, but she’s received no support from management.

“We’re tired of living paycheck to paycheck,” she said at the press conference. “We all have bills and have kids. We are really tired. I’m thankful to y’all for supporting us.”

Wu said Texas House Democrats left the state earlier this year during a special legislative session to fight against attacks on Texas communities. The lawmakers broke quorum, halting the session during a redistricting vote designed to garner five additional Republican seats in U.S. Congress. The Democrats eventually returned and the measure passed but is now the subject of a lawsuit alleging racial gerrymandering.

“We were tired of the people getting stepped on, getting crushed, and doing whatever the billionaires want no matter what the cost,” Wu said. “The people of this country came out and supported us. We need everyone in this state, everyone in Houston, to do the same for these working people. This fight is not any different from what we were fighting earlier.”

“If you think that fairness and hard work are the core values of America, support these workers,” Wu added. “Do not cross a picket line.”