Workers ratify historic contracts at two SeaTac hotels

Doubletree Seattle Airport and Seattle Airport Hilton & Conference Center Workers won large raises and other demands

SEATTLE, WA (November 12, 2024) – 400 hotel workers at the Doubletree Seattle Airport and Seattle Airport Hilton & Conference Center have a new contract, ratified today, with large raises and workload protections. The contract win comes after two strikes – one over Labor Day weekend and a weeklong strike in October – and amid recent strikes by hotel workers in cities across North America.

This marks a historic victory for the majority immigrant workforce during the first major contract cycle since hospitality has recovered from the pandemic. Workers won significant wage increases over the duration of the contract and housekeepers won workload protections they had sought.

Hotel workers and supporters walk the picket line in October at the Doubletree Seattle Airport Hotel. Photo: WSLC

“I’m so proud of what we won together, and the extra pay will make a big difference for me,” said Usman Yousufzai, Doubletree Houseman. “Every month my brothers and sisters in Afghanistan need me to help them financially just for their families to survive. The raises we won mean that I can pay my bills here in Washington and send more to help my family.”

Workers are members of the UNITE HERE union, and they include housekeepers, front desk agents, cooks, dishwashers, servers, bartenders, drivers, and more. The prior contract had expired May 31, 2024.

“Our members joined in a wave of workers across this country who are fighting and winning what they deserve,” said Anita Seth, UNITE HERE Local 8 President. “This diverse workforce, which includes refugees and immigrants from over a dozen countries, stuck together and showed that hospitality jobs can be good jobs that can sustain families and communities, even in a high cost-of-living region.”

To say workers are fired up about their new contract would be an understatement! pic.twitter.com/1kJjRMwNh6

— UNITE HERE! Local 8 (@UniteHereLocal8) November 9, 2024

After months of contract negotiations, over 10,000 hotel workers across the U.S. have gone on strike since Labor Day weekend. Hotel workers in Honolulu; Boston; Greenwich and New Haven, Conn.; Providence, R.I.; Sacramento, Calif.; San Diego; San Jose; and Toronto, Canada, have recently ratified new union contracts. More than 2,000 hotel workers remain on strike in San Francisco. Hotel workers in UNITE HERE continue to fight for new contracts including at the Westin Seattle, where workers struck over Labor Day weekend and have protested unfair and deceptive resort fees.