LOCAL
UNITE HERE, Seattle Westin (Marriott) reach tentative deal
The following is from UNITE HERE Local 8:
SEATTLE (Oct. 16, 2018) — After months of negotiations, including a 19-hour final bargaining session concluding just before 5 a.m. Saturday morning, UNITE HERE Local 8 members at the Westin Seattle have reached a tentative agreement with Marriott, averting a possible strike. Settlement came after major actions at the hotel, including a Labor Day civil disobedience action in which 21 people were arrested, a 98% Yes vote to authorize a strike, and a picket line on the final Friday of bargaining that stretched almost entirely around the hotel.
Since their strike authorization vote on Sept. 14, Westin Seattle workers have seen an outpouring of support from the community, with organizations and individuals donating money to a hardship fund, signing up for picket duty alongside workers, and pledging not to do business in Marriott hotels in the event of a strike. Friday’s action was a massive show of solidarity from tradeswomen from across the country alongside local unions, community groups, and Local 8 members.
The settlement reached Saturday will be put to a vote of the Westin membership this coming Friday, October 19, and we will be releasing additional details publicly once the agreement has been ratified.
Strikes continue at Marriott-operated hotels in 8 cities, and negotiations in those cities are ongoing.
Throughout this campaign, UNITE HERE members across the country have called on Marriott to be a leader in the hotel industry in providing jobs that are enough for hotel workers, and we’ve demonstrated we’re willing do whatever it takes to achieve this goal. The tentative agreement reached in Seattle shows that Marriott can meet workers’ expectations for a fair contract.
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