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Celebrate Edgewater workers’ contract victory on Friday

SEATTLE (July 13, 2021) — After a long struggle, workers at the Edgewater Hotel won a groundbreaking new union contract that UNITE HERE Local 8 reports leads the way in hotel worker protections as Washington state emerges from the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions. Now these workers and their union want to celebrate this contract victory with the people that made it all possible: their community supporters.

UNITE HERE Local 8 invites all of their supporters to join in the Edgewater Hotel Contract Victory Celebration from 4 to 5:30 p.m. on Friday, July 16 on the public pier in front of the hotel  at 2411 Alaskan Way in Seattle. Refreshments including ice cream will be provided.

The Edgewater workers’ new contract includes:

  • Raises of $5.30 for non-tipped workers
  • Pay for extra work in housekeeping; pay parity across small departments
  • Increased access to health insurance
  • Edgewater employees’ jobs will be protected if the hotel is transferred or sold.
  • An agreement to continue daily room cleaning throughout the pandemic and other COVID-related provisions that will keep workers and guests safe and healthy. Currently the Edgewater is Local 8’s only hotel where daily room cleaning is still required.

“A big THANK YOU to everyone who supported us,” reads an invitation to Friday’s celebration from UNITE HERE Local 8. “We continue the fight to raise the standard for hotel workers in downtown Seattle. We must stand together against corporations practicing ‘disaster capitalism’ and using the pandemic as an excuse to exploit workers. Around the country, we see hotels cutting jobs like daily housekeeping services and replacing front desk and room service jobs with technology and automation. There can be no equitable economic recovery without hospitality workers leading the way!”

UNITE HERE Local 8 represents about 5,000 workers in the hospitality industries of Oregon & Washington State. Local 8 members work in hotels, restaurants, food service, and airport concessions. They include room cleaners, cooks, bartenders, bellmen, food and beverage servers, bussers, and dishwashers. Local 8′s parent union, UNITE HERE, represents hotel, food service, and gaming workers throughout the U.S. and Canada. Learn more here.

 


Do the wages and benefits described above sound good to you?  Get more information about how you can join together with co-workers and negotiate a fair return for your hard work. Or go ahead and contact a union organizer today!

CHECK OUT THE UNION DIFFERENCE in Washington: higher wages, affordable health and dental care, job and retirement security.

FIND OUT HOW TO JOIN TOGETHER with your co-workers to negotiate for better wages, benefits, and a voice at work. Or go ahead and contact a union organizer today!