HTC members vote overwhelmingly to approve new IWA

On Monday, February 13, 2012, 4,847 members that work in the 77 Hotel Association Bargaining Group hotels came to the Gertrude Lane auditorium at union headquarters to vote by secret-ballot on the agreement that was reached with the Hotel Association Bargaining group ten days earlier. The results were 99.4% in favor and 0.56% against. With this ratification, the additional 37 hotels that signed "Me-too" agreements automatically become parties to this Industry-Wide Agreement as well.

The contract, which received national and international attention in the news media when it was first announced last week, will go into effect on July 1, 2012 (when the current contract expires) and will continue until June 30, 2019.

Now our union's attention must focus on 68 hotels (including Hilton hotels) that also need to be persuaded to sign on to the Industry-Wide Agreement. Those employers must be made to understand that they now face a possible strike supported by the full weight of our union's mobilized resources. All the members of our union whose contract has now been secured must give their energetic and enthusiastic support to this effort, and, through the union's HEAT System, volunteer for picket duty outside any hotel that fails to sign an agreement with us.