Newsfeed

Hotel Voice, Spring 2022

REOPENING NEWS

  • Average occupancy reaches 69.5% in NYC as of March 2022.
  • Around 70% of members are back to work and by 2023, we expect that number to rise to 85% of members returning to work.

LEGAL AND ENFORCEMENT VICTORIES

  • HTC’s legal team negotiates 52 new contracts, including 11 first contracts.
  • 31 Impartial Chairperson decision are ruled in the Union’s favor.
  • Important arbitration decisions are upheld by federal court, strengthening the power of our successor and assigns language.

COVID-19 RELIEF

  • In the year since the vaccines became publicly available, our Health Centers distributed 21,058 shots.
  • Since January 2022, 2,020 booster shots have been administered at our health centers.
  • 348 members have been provided with a grant from the Union to help with emergency housing and utility costs.

POLITICAL WINS

  • Union announces its endorsement of Kathy Hochul, Letitia James and Tom DiNapoli at a rally in the Gertrude Lane Auditorium on March 10, 2022.
  • Governor Kathy Hochul invites HTC President Rich Maroko to give a keynote speech at the New York State Democratic Convention.
  • HTC stands in solidarity with our brothers and sisters in labor at PSE-CUNY in calling for a return to tuition-free CUNY.
  • Downstate casino licenses are approved in the state budget, paving the way for thousands of good paying hospitality jobs.

UNION BENEFITS

  • 371 members celebrate their retirement since January
  • HTC’s annual Writing Contest opens for submissions. More details on page 19.

HTC IN THE NEWS:

  • amNY - Hotel Trades Council endorses trio of incumbents Hochul, James and DiNapoli for re-election: “The Hotel Trades Council (HTC) endorsed on Thursday Governor Kathy Hochul, Attorney General Letitia James, and New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli for re-election. The second floor of 305 West 44th St. played host to an auditorium crammed with hotel union members chanting ‘Kathy.’ HTC lauded the first female New York governor and her fellow endorsed elected officials for their contributions to labor workers and unions.”
  • State of Politics - Hochul draws on support from hotel workers union amid election push: “As she seeks a full term this year, Gov. Kathy Hochul is turning to what has become a reliable union ally for Democratic elected officials in New York: The Hotel Trades Council. Hochul on Thursday morning rallied with the labor union in New York City, a campaign event that comes amid the state budget negotiations this month.”
  • NJ Advance Media - Hotel union that’s powerful in NYC politics is expanding in N.J: “A hotel union that already wields considerable influence in New York City politics is now aiming to beef up its presence in New Jersey. The Hotel and Gaming Trades Council opened its first office in the state — in Montclair — on Wednesday, the same day workers it represents at 10 hotels in New Jersey voted to ratify contracts.”
  • Crain's - Federal judge ends Hotel Assocation's months long battle against severance law: “A federal judge has struck down a bid from the Hotel Association of New York that sought to block a city law requiring hotels to reopen by Nov. 1 or pay $500 in weekly severance fees to furloughed workers. Advocates of the law, including the Hotel Trades Council, applauded its passage in the fall of 2021 for giving thousands of hotel workers their jobs back.”
  • NY Times - Here’s What $220 Billion Brings: New Casinos, Bail Laws and a Stadium: “New York City just moved closer to getting its first full-fledged casino. The state had intended to wait until next year before beginning the process of awarding licenses for three new casinos downstate. Gov. Kathy Hochulwanted to move faster, and persuaded lawmakers to move up the timeline. At some point this year, the state will open a competitive bidding process for the three licenses.”
  • Insider NJ - Hotel and Gaming Trades Council Endorses Baraka Slate for Newark Mayor & Council: “After standing in support of Mayor Ras Baraka four years ago and witnessing the progress his Administration has made for working people in Newark, the Hotel and Gaming Trades Council (HTC) has announced its endorsement of Mayor Baraka and his whole Council slate.”