WSLC helps striking hotel workers access UI benefits

“I’m proud to support my UNITE HERE siblings striking for a fair contract and help them stay out one day longer and one day stronger,” said UI Navigator Michael Pichler

SEATTLE, WA (July 7, 2026) — For more than three weeks, about 115 hotel workers have walked the picket line at Embassy Suites Pioneer Square, striking for a fair contract. It’s a David and Goliath battle. The workers, many of whom are immigrants, are currently making too little to cover their bills. And they’re concerned about the increased presence of immigration agents in Seattle in recent months; with racial profiling a common Department of Homeland Security (DHS) tactic, workers with legal status are worried they’ll be taken by ICE.

So workers are taking on one of the biggest hotel companies in the United States, Hilton, pushing for a contract securing employer notification if DHS agents are on the property, full time hours, fair pay, and year-round healthcare. 19 days in to the strike, management has yet to come to an agreement with the workers.

But last week, workers passed a bittersweet milestone. On strike for more than two weeks, the workers now qualify for unemployment insurance benefits (UI) under a law Washington’s labor movement won in 2025.

Photo: UNITE HERE Local 8

“Our movement worked hard to secure access to unemployment benefits for striking workers because we know just how stacked the deck is against low-wage workers who make the courageous choice to strike,” said Washington State Labor Council (WSLC) President April Sims, discussing the power imbalance that exists when massive companies pay workers too little to build any economic security.

Workers at Embassy Suites have shared just how low the wages are. One striker said they have to take transit in from Kent every day because they can’t afford to get their car fixed. When workers first walked out on strike, their union, UNITE HERE Local 8, shared that many Embassy Suites workers were forced to take on second and even third jobs because they make so little at the hotel.

“Hotel workers on the picket line in Seattle are standing up for fair pay, health care and safe working conditions, taking on a massive company with significantly more resources,” Sims continued. “But with access to UI, workers get the support they need to keep exercising their legal and moral right to strike for the contract they deserve.”

The WSLC’s Workforce Development team was onsite at the Embassy Suites picket line last week, helping striking workers sign up for benefits.

Pichler (center) walks striking hotel workers through the process of applying for UI. Photo: The STAND

“My role is to make sure workers can access the benefits they’re entitled to,” said Michael Pichler, who works as UI Navigator at the Council. Each week, Pickler helps dozens of workers who’ve lost work navigate the state’s unemployment system. Pichler began this work at the WSLC in 2024, a few months after he was laid off from a long-time job and struggled to navigate the UI system. He’s now using the skills he learned through that difficult process to help other eligible workers missing pay.

“I know firsthand how tough it can be to be looking ahead and not know when your next paycheck will be,” said Pichler. “I’m proud to support my UNITE HERE siblings striking for a fair contract and help them stay out one day longer and one day stronger.”

The UI Navigator program began as a federal and state funded position, While that funding has now ended, but the WSLC has worked to keep Pichler on as full-time staff, recognizing the invaluable service he’s providing to union members and any worker needing the UI safety net. Pichler has helped more than 3,000 workers access UI in the past two years; he also provides trainings for workers on navigating the system before any possible layoff or strike occurs.

“It’s been incredibly fulfilling to know that the work we did made a real difference for so many people,” said Pichler.

UI support is just one of the ways Washington’s 600,000-workers-strong labor movement and the broader community have stepped up to support the striking hotel workers walking the line at Embassy Suites. Union siblings have joined the workers for demonstrations during local World Cup matches. Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson and Washington Governor Bob Ferguson moved an event out of the building Embassy Suites occupies, with Ferguson walking the picket line in support of workers’ contract demands. And neighborhood businesses have posted signs in their windows saying they support the workers, too.

“Bad bosses try to starve workers out to end a strike; our movement won’t let that happen,” said WSLC’s Sims.

With momentum at their backs, workers are committed to doing what it takes to win the contract they deserve.

“We don’t know how long [the strike] is going to last, but we’re going to be here until they agree to a fair contract,” said Teresa Joseph, who works at a restaurant in the hotel. “We’re not going to stop.”

Supporters can join hotel workers on the strike line every day from 7:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. in front of Embassy Suites Pioneer Square (255 South King Street, Seattle). To get assistance with UI, schedule a training, or learn more about the program, contact Michael Pichler at mpichler@wslc.org.