We Celebrate the Courage of the 1985 Strikers
The 1985 strike was one of the most decisive moments in the nearly 100-year history of our union.
Fighting For Social Justice Since 1939
The Hotel & Gaming Trades Council, AFL-CIO (HTC), has a rich and proud history as a progressive, fighting union. For nearly 100 years, it has made life better for thousands of hotel workers and their families.
The Story of the First Contract
This is the story of the fight our union waged in 1939 to win our first contract, the IWA.
"If I were asked to summarize what we accomplished on January 18, 1939, I would say that above all, with the signing of the first contract, we brought dignity to one of the most depressed and exploited categories of workers. The miserable pay, the endless hours, the quick firings, the kickbacks, the fines - all the crudities and cruelties that marked the lives of hotel and culinary workers in these days - were expressions of the contempt in which they were held. They were regarded as servants who were entitled to no rights and who probably wouldn't know how to exercise them anyhow."
– JAY RUBIN, Former HTC President
HTC at the 1963 March on Washington
The 1963 March on Washington is one of the most celebrated moments in the Civil Rights Movement. Our union organized a delegation of 360 members and officials to represent the union in the march.
Union Victory in Puerto Rico
When members of Unite Here Local 610 in Puerto Rico entered into a contract fight with Hilton in June 2009, the life of their union was hanging on by a thread.
The new contract that was ratified in February 2010 saved their union. It stopped decades of decline and concession bargaining. It significantly raised the members’ standard of living and greatly increased their power.
Union members send a message to the world: "We support Sofitel Room Attendants"
On June 6, 2011, union Room Attendants showed up in force at a Manhattan Criminal Courthouse for the arraignment of Dominique Strauss-Kahn.
Elected officials and 1,500 members rally for Boathouse workers
On April 21, 2011, more than 1,500 HTC members, accompanied by an impressive list of important elected officials, came out to the rally to support the Boathouse workers in their fight for a union. The rally was the opening shot in the final phase of the fight for a union at the Boathouse.