Courtyard Newark Downtown Wins Union Contract!

August 25, 2016 12:39 PM

Hotel Trades Council (HTC) members at the Courtyard Newark Downtown Hotel celebrate the ratification of their first-time contract with HTC Grievance Manager Joseph Messineo and Local 6 Vice President George Padilla.

The Union has won a contract for the Hotel Trades Council (HTC) members employed at the Courtyard Newark Downtown Hotel.

The hotel joined the rapidly growing list of shops in New Jersey that are bound to the Greater Regional Industry Wide Agreement, or GRIWA.

After a long, hard-fought legal battle, negotiations came to a close recently when the hotel signed the contract. A short time after that, the bargaining unit employees unanimously ratified the agreement. Employees can now look forward to ushering in a new era of higher wages, better benefits, strong job protections, and scheduling rights.    

Another life-changing benefit negotiated by the union is a guaranteed maximum monthly contribution to the current healthcare plan, regardless of the level of coverage, family or individual. This nominal contribution is a mere fraction of the amount employees were paying before the contract made family health care available and affordable to all.

“Since HTC committed to improving the working lives of hotel workers in the New Jersey region just a few years ago, the number of union hotels has nearly doubled and 23 shops have agreed to sign onto the GRIWA”, said Richard Maroko, HTC Vice President & General Counsel. Maroko added, “The union is fully committed to continuing to improve the wages, benefits and work conditions of hotel workers in New Jersey”.