Rich Maroko and Administrations of HTC and Local 6 Are Re-Elected

Following the re-election of the administrations, Maralin Falik, CEO of Global Election Services, and the HTC and Local 6 Election Committees met to confirm the eligibility of all candidates. Those present at the meeting include Ms. Falik and Election Committee members, clockwise from upper right, Dorian Ross (Conrad Hotel), Anwar Ahmed (Four Seasons), Pasquale DeMartino (Pierre Hotel), Michael Morana (Intercontinental TS), Dimitrios Theofanis (Palace), Aida Lora (Hotel Pennsylvania), and Tolbert Lapomarel (Hilton Garden Inn).

September 4, 2021 12:56 PM

In a solid vote of confidence in Rich Maroko and the administrations of both the Hotel and Gaming Trades Council and Local 6, members re-elected them by acclamation at general membership meetings on September 3rd.

Notices of nominations and elections of both HTC and Local 6 were published in Hotel Voice and mailed to all members. In addition, the nominations processes and the meetings where the nominations took place were also open to all members.

The re-election of the Local 6 administration took place at a Delegate Assembly meeting. The nominations portion of the meeting was observed by the Local 6 Election Committee, comprised of members in good standing. Also observing were Maralin Falik, the Chief Executive Officer of Global Election Services, a company that supervisors government and union elections as well as other events where votes take place such as the Country Music Awards. Also observing was Steven Biller, a former U.S. Department of Labor Senior Investigator. The meeting was chaired by the head of the Election Committee, Dorian Ross, a 35-year member of the Union who is employed at the Conrad Hotel.

Maroko was nominated by former HTC President Peter Ward, who had retired more than a year earlier, To no one's surprise, Ward was very warmly welcomed by members present in the auditorium.

Ward reviewed Maroko's history with the Union, beginning 19 years ago when he was hired as our in-house counsel. Ward cited Maroko's expertise in negotiations, saying that many of the gains made under his own administration were due to Maroko's efforts and creativity in contract talks. Ward also reviewed a long list of Maroko's formidable qualifications to lead, saying that they were a strong consideration in August 2020, when he recommended to the Union's General Officers, Executive Board Members and Assembly Delegates that they approve Maroko as his successor as Business Manager of Local 6. Ward also noted the many steps Maroko had taken to protect members during the pandemic including negotiating strict COVID-19 protocols to protect members who are working, winning eight months of extended family healthcare and $370 million in severance bridge payments, working with the Benefit Funds to allow laid off members to have continued access to pre-paid legal, and assisting thousands of members to cut through red tape to receive unemployment benefits. Ward added, "These and so many other steps taken by Rich to protect members and their families show how great a job he has done leading the Union. His dedication and diligence are unparalleled, and I'm both honored and proud to place his name into nomination,"

Ward's nomination of Maroko drew a loud and long standing ovation. The rest of the administration's slate, Local 6 Unity, was nominated by Local 6 President Jim Donovan. Following the nomination of Ward and the Local 6 Unity slate, Election Committee chairperson Dorian Ross asked if there were any further slate or individual nominations. There were none, and this resulted in another ovation as Maroko and his team were re-elected by acclamation.

Later on September 3rd a meeting was held for the nominations of the administration of the Hotel and Gaming Trades Council. Once again the nomination of Maroko was made by Ward. Calling Maroko's first year as HTC President a "trial by fire" due to the pandemic, Ward noted that the Union acted quickly and decisively to safeguard members and their families during this unprecedented public health crisis and the severe downturn in employment that it has caused.

Once again, Maroko's nomination was greeted enthusiastically by the members who were present, as was the nomination of the rest of the HTC Unity slate. There were no further slate or individual nominations, resulting in the re-election of Maroko and his team by acclamation. This led Maralin Falik of Global Election Services to cast a "white ballot," which is symbolic of finalizing the vote. Ms. Falik and the members of the Election Committees met immediately afterwards to confirm the eligibility of all those elected.

"We have supervised hundreds of union and government elections and I have very rarely been so Impressed by the support Mr. Maroko and his team received," Ms. Falik said. "The number of people that showed up in person for the nominations meetings and their fervent enthusiasm for the Unions' administrations is simply amazing. I congratulate Rich Maroko and his entire team on their re-election.”

Following the vote Rich Maroko expressed his sincere thanks to the Unions' officers and staff, citing their hard work and dedication throughout the COVID-19 crisis.

He also expressed his appreciation for the vote of confidence expressed in the elections.

"Most of all I thank the membership for its support," he said. "The unity and resolve of our membership are what keeps us strong and makes us effective, and I thank all our members for that.”

The administrations re-elected on September 3rd will serve for terms of three years.

Click here to see the names of all those elected.