February: HTC advocates for hotel workers to be recognized as essential workers and get early access to the COVID-19 vaccine. The Harlem Health Center reopens as vaccination site.
March: Our Union works with New York Senator Schumer to make sure free COBRA is included in the American Rescue Plan. As a result, nearly 10,000 union members and their families re-enrolled in our healthcare plan and the Brooklyn Health Center can reopen.
Election Season: Over 500 union members knock on doors and phone bank for union-backed candidates including NYC Mayor Eric Adams and NJ Governor Phil Murphy
October: NYC passes law requiring closed hotels with 100+ rooms to reopen by Nov. 1 and recall at least 25% of workers or pay $500/week to laid off workers. In response, 24 hotels reopen, recalling over 2,000 members.
November: Union ally Eric Adams wins the NYC mayoral election in a landslide. HTC was the first labor union to endorse Adams and our members showed up in full force to get out the vote.
Our Union launches programs to assist members with their job search, writing resumes for over 680 members and creating a job search portal on our website.
November: After speaking with Pres. Maroko, NY Governor Kathy Hochul launches the Tourism Worker Recovery Fund, which provides $2,750 relief checks to eligible hotel workers and allocates millions to revive the hospitality industry.
November: For the first time since the start of this crisis, over 50% of our membership is back to work with 246 union hotels, as well as all union casinos and most clubs, back open
During the most unbelievably difficult time to negotiate, our Union wins 33 contracts in 2021 including 13 first HTC contracts!
HTC’s organizing team organizes 24 new hotels and casinos in 2021, welcoming more than 750 new members into the Union.
New York City passes law requiring special permits for new hotel development, a major step toward stopping the rampant overdevelopment of hotels.
Our allies in New Jersey passed a law requiring hotels that change ownership to keep workers employed for at least 90 days. The law also protects guests by requiring hotels to notify them of picket lines and offer full refunds.
