A Report from HTC President Rich Maroko

The pandemic sparked a change in working people across the country. It was hardly the first time workers were suffering from dangerous working conditions, low pay, and erratic scheduling, but the pandemic shined a light on just how insecure these jobs – and the lives of those who relied on them – really were. Fed up workers realized they didn’t have to settle for what employers were offering. They had the power to change things by organizing a union. Read more...

Newsfeed

A brief report on our Union's progress since the last Spring. 

Dues Increase, Previously Postponed, Going into Effect Sept. 1

In July 2014, our membership voted by 89.9% to increase dues every September. Last year, in recognition of the hardships facing many members due to the pandemic, the Union’s Executive Board postponed the increase scheduled for 2021 until this September. Now that members are beginning to get back on their feet, the September 2021 and 2022 increases will be going into effect. Read more...

'Round and About

Community news from our Union brothers and sisters.

The HTC Chef

Twenty-five years ago, while a student at the New York Restaurant School, Chef Christopher Davis developed his recipe for seared salmon with orange dill sauce and it quickly became one of his favorite dinners to prepare for his friends and family. Read more...

Workers at the Hard Rock Hotel Join HTC!

On Friday, June 3rd, workers at the brand new Hard Rock Hotel rejoiced at the news that they were officially represented by HTC. When reviewing the workers’ authorization cards earlier that morning, the Impartial Chairperson found that nearly all of the hotel’s 100+ workers had signed cards, effectively casting their votes to join our Union. Read more...

Inside the Union Drive: Executive Hotel Le Soleil Workers Vote YES!

This year, Executive Hotel Le Soleil on Manhattan’s West 36th Street broke into TripAdvisor’s top 40 hotels in New York. While the luxury hotel’s reputation among the public was improving, working conditions were deteriorating and the employees were growing discouraged.

The workers at Le Soleil did not sit back and accept the decline, they turned to our Union. Over the last year, they put in the time to learn how to build power, overcome management’s anti-union campaign, win representation, and fight for a contract. Here’s a look inside their fight. Read more...

Paramount Hotel to Reopen, 170 Back to Work

In May, workers at the Paramount Hotel got the news they had been waiting for: the hotel was finally reopening.

Richard Osei, in the Housekeeping Department, was one of the 170 union workers laid off from the Paramount in March 2020. “I had to take a part-time job driving a taxi when the Paramount closed,” Richard explains. “One day on the job, I was violently attacked. My face was broken, I lost my vision. I was dying, and scheduled for brain surgery.” Richard had no health insurance and he couldn’t work for many months due to his injuries. He applied for food stamps three times (but was denied) and now, he’s facing eviction from his home of 18 years. Read more...

Radisson JFK and Butler Hospitality Busted Trying to Replace Union Workers

In March 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic began, the Radisson JFK closed its restaurant and bar, Connections. Shortly thereafter, the hotel devised a scheme to permanently eliminate union jobs in its Food & Beverage department. Instead of recalling its union employees, as the IWA required, it chose to subcontract the work to a company named Butler Hospitality. Butler leases hotel restaurant space to operate as a “ghost kitchen” to prepare and deliver food to hotels, one of which was right next door at the non-union Crowne Plaza Hotel JFK. This would end up being a costly mistake. The Union not only forced the Radisson JFK to stop using Butler, but won a decision in arbitration for backpay to the laid off union workers whose jobs were subcontracted. Read more...

Caught Red Handed: Truss Hotel Tries to Subcontract Union Work

In September 2021, Union representatives caught the Truss Hotel in a brazen attempt to eliminate union jobs. At the time, the hotel appeared to be completely shut down and all 17 union members were on layoff, yet behind the scenes, the hotel had brought in Outpost, an online company that rents hotel rooms to temporary residents and uses its own non-union staff to check-in residents and service the rooms. Read more...

Don't Be Fooled: Union Jobs are Not for Sale

If someone approaches you, including someone who claims to be affiliated with the Union, and offers to help you find a unionized hotel job in exchange for money, it is a scam. Do not give them anything! The Union’s job referral service is free and hotels are prohibited by the Union’s master contract from requiring or requesting any fee from job applicants. Read more...

Enroll in the Union 401(k) Beginning November 18th!

Starting on November 18^th, the Benefit Funds’ Retirement Services Department will be conducting open enrollment in the 401(k) plan for all eligible members. Open enrollment sessions will be held on Friday, November 18^th, December 2^nd, and December 9^th in Gertrude Lane Auditorium (305 W. 44^th Street, Mezzanine Level). There will be 2 sessions each day, the first session from 10:00am to 2:00pm and the second session from 2:00pm to 5:00pm. Staff will be able to accommodate Spanish speaking and Chinese speaking members in all sessions. Members who live and work in upstate New York, central Long Island, and New Jersey, can request a Zoom link to join virtually. Read more...

#HTC Votes! Get Out the Vote for Union Candidates in the November Election

Over the last fifteen years, our Union has been able to make our local government pass laws that have big, tangible impacts on our jobs and our communities. This has only been possible because of the thousands of members who have volunteered to get the right people into office. Read more...

Cast Your Ballot for Union-Backed Candidates!

This year, New Yorkers will elect the next Governor, Lt. Governor, State Assembly, State Senate, Comptroller, Attorney General, and representatives in Congress. Many of these races are extremely competitive and it is critical that we elect those individuals who will protect workers and prioritize fixing the problems faced by everyday New Yorkers in the months and years ahead. Read more...

New York’s Plan to Convert Bad Hotels into Affordable Housing

Over the last year, our allies in the New York State government have passed a series of new laws aimed at addressing two major problems afflicting our communities: the desperate need for affordable housing and out-of-control hotel development.

The legislation has had the full support of our Union as it protects good union jobs, addresses the problems caused by decades of overdevelopment, and helps tackle the City’s housing crisis. Read more...

Union Secures Protections for Hotel, Casino, Club Workers in the Wake of Supreme Court’s Ruling on NY Gun Law

For over 100 years, New York State had strict gun safety laws that severely limited the number of individuals who are able to carry firearms outside of their homes. This changed on June 23^rd, when the U.S. Supreme Court invalidated key parts of the State’s law, opening the door for virtually anyone to now carry a firearm outside of their home in New York and New Jersey.

Immediately following the Court’s decision, our Union began working with elected officials and representatives in the hotel and gaming industries to do everything possible to protect our members while at work. On July 1^st, the Union both secured protections in New York State law and came to a new agreement with the Hotel Association of New York City addressing firearm safety. Read more... 

2022 Scholarship Winners

This year’s 2022 scholarship winners include 32 bright and accomplished students that represent the best of what’s to come. Our Union’s scholarship recipients are athletes, artists, and scholars dedicated to their education and communities. We look forward to seeing the great things they do! Read more...

Tributes

During this difficult time when we can not come together and grieve in person and provide each other comfort, we wanted to take the space to remember and celebrate the lives of Union members who have passed during the last year.