History

Fighting For Social Justice Since 1939

The New York Hotel Trades Council, AFL-CIO (NYHTC), has a rich and proud history as a progressive, fighting union. For more than 70 years, it has made life better for literally hundreds of thousands of hotel workers and the members of their families.

NYHTC was founded in the late 1930's in a massive campaign to organize workers in the New York City hotel industry.

The Story of the First Contract

The “Industry-Wide Agreement” (“IWA” for short), is the New York Hotel Trades Council’s master union contract with the Hotel Association of New York City, Inc. (which is the union of the hotel owners). Today, the IWA covers 28,000 members of the Hotel Trades Council in New York City – the vast majority of our union’s members, including employees of every type of hotel and motel, large and small, not only in the center of Manhattan but throughout New York City, including the outer boroughs.

The Little Rock Nine

A few pivotal moments enter history marked with an intensity and a vividness passing years do not diminish. One such event was the integration of Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas.

In 1954, the landmark Supreme Court decision Brown v. Board of Education mandated the integration of racially segregated schools. Three years later, Central High School remained rigidly segregated. On September 4, 1957, however, nine black students were to attend classes there for the first time.

Mildred Grossman Photo Exhibit

Mildred Grossman was an award-winning photographer, a teacher and an active member of the New York City Teachers' Union in the 1940s. Her work was part of a collection that has been hailed as the most successful exhibition of photography ever assembled. "The Family of Man," which included two of Grossman's photographs, debuted at the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) in January 1955, circulated internationally for eight years, and then sold more than 4 million copies in book form.

Americans at Work: Hotel and Restaurant Workers 1958 - 1969 (Video)

This video was part of a series called "Americans at Work", which was produced by the AFL-CIO between 1958 and 1960. "HOTEL AND RESTAURANT WORKERS" features members of our union at work in the banquet department of the Waldorf=Astoria, one of the most famous hotels in the world.

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 by a thread.