Hotel workers entering 3rd week on strike

Join hotel workers on strike at Embassy Suites on the picket line in Seattle during the lead-up to upcoming World Cup matches

SEATTLE, WA (June 30, 2026) — Entering their third week on strike, workers at the Embassy Suites Pioneer Square are keeping the pressure on to secure a fair contract. Since walking off the job early in the morning of June 18, hotel workers united in UNITE HERE Local 8 have maintained daily picket lines at the hotel just steps from where World Cup matches are being played in Seattle.

Unless hotel management negotiates a contract that meets workers’ demands for fair pay, healthcare, and safe working conditions, hotel workers intend to keep the strike going through upcoming Seattle World Cup matches, and are asking supporters to join them on the picket line.

Support for the workers has been strong since the strike started from locals and World Cup fans alike. Some visitors with reservations at Embassy Suites have refused to stay at the hotel and demanded refunds. Bosnia & Herzegovina fans took photos showing their support for the strikers during the pre-game march to the Seattle stadium.

Governor Bob Ferguson poses for a photo with striking hotel workers during a visit to the picket line on Monday, June 29. Photo: UNITE HERE Local 8

On Monday, Governor Bob Ferguson walked the picket line in a demonstration of support for the workers’ fight for a fair contract. Elected leaders had previously scheduled a press conference to be held in the same building as the hotel. To respect the workers’ picket line, Ferguson and Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson chose to move locations.

“I have never and will never cross a picket line,” said Wilson in explaining the change.

Workers are holding the line for fair wages, safe staffing, year round healthcare, and protections from ICE.

“I am striking because I don’t get enough hours, and I don’t make enough money,” said Teresa Joseph, an Embassy Suites restaurant worker and Local 8 union leader in a statement announcing the strike. “I don’t have a full eight hours – only six. This isn’t livable within Seattle. I just want to be able to live in the city I work in. I take the metro from Kent every day because I can’t afford to fix my car.”

TAKE A STAND: Join workers on the picket line outside Embassy Suites (255 South King Street) on Seattle World Cup game days (Wednesday, July 1 from 11:30am to 1:00pm & Monday, July 6 from 3:30pm to 5:00pm.)