Urge better pay for employees of city-owned Vancouver Hilton

UNITE HERE 8 plans food drive Thursday outside City Hall; please donate!

VANCOUVER, Wash. (Jan. 16, 2018) — Despite record revenue in recent years, the city-owned Vancouver Hilton hotel continues to propose paying poverty wages — just pennies over the state minimum wage — keeping workers living in poverty. Many of the these workers have been with the hotel since its opening, but still must regularly rely on the very same food banks that the hotel raises donations for every year. Their hard work and sacrifices have carried the hotel through 13 very difficult years, and their reward should not be minimum wage and the inability to feed and house their families.

Vancouver’s Downtown Redevelopment Authority recently adopted the 2018 budget for the hotel, leaving no room for improvement to wages and benefits. UNITE HERE Local 8, Vancouver Hilton employees and their supporters are urging the Downtown Redevelopment Authority to re-open the budget for the hotel, and help lift workers out of poverty.

As part of this campaign for living wages for Vancouver Hilton workers, the union is holding a food drive on Thursday, Jan. 18 from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. outside the City Hall building at 415 W. 6th St., Vancouver, WA 98660. Please show your support by bringing donations of non-perishable food items.

TAKE A STAND! — In addition to bringing donations to Thursday’s food drive, you can support Vancouver Hilton employees by contacting the City Council at vancmo@cityofvancouver.us, and the Downtown Redevelopment Agency at Natasha.Ramras@cityofvancouver.us. Ask them to make room in the budget for living wages for Vancouver Hilton workers!

Please download and circulate this flier. It reads:

WORKERS AT CITY-OWNED HOTEL LIVE IN POVERTY

The city-owned Vancouver Hilton Hotel was built to be an economic engine for our city. It’s time for the city and the hotel to honor their commitment of creating family wage jobs. Despite record revenues in recent years, many of our co-workers still live in poverty. They are our mothers, fathers, sisters, and brothers. They are part of this community.

City of Vancouver and Hilton: Now is the time to lift workers out of poverty!

“At our annual food drive at the Hilton, we raised 8,369 pounds of food for the Clark County Food Bank. As a worker, my family and I regularly rely on food banks to survive. I’ve gone to 3 different food banks in the last 3 weeks,” said Beth, a Pbx operator at the Vancouver Hilton for 13 years.

“I’ve been battling with numerous illnesses including a recent heart attack in August. Even after getting approved for financial assistance, it’s still a constant struggle to pay off my medical bills. Since my heart attack, it’s been hard not to let the stress of my bills get in the way of healing,” said Armando, a cook at the Vancouver Hilton for 12 years.

“I’ve currently resorted to living in my car, which I’ve had to do off & on for several years. I have nothing for self-defense. I go to sleep afraid of what I might wake up to. I’m a single mother of two kids. Everything I’m doing now is to save enough money for a small apartment for us. I miss them so much,” said Debbie, a houseperson at the Vancouver Hilton for 3 years.

PLEASE SUPPORT OUR FOOD DRIVE FOR HOTEL WORKERS! You can also support hotel employees by contacting the City Council at vancmo@cityofvancouver.us, and the Downtown Redevelopment Agency at Natasha.Ramras@cityofvancouver.us.  Ask them to make room in the budget for living wages for Vancouver Hilton workers!