A Report from HTC President Rich Maroko

By HTC President Rich Maroko

Ever since the COVID-19 crisis decimated the tourism industry and brought on mass layoffs in March 2020, our Union has been working every angle to get as many members back on the job as quickly as possible. Read more...

Newsfeed

A brief report on our Union's progress since the start of the year.

Our Union's 2021 Highlights!

Take a look at our Union's biggest highlights of 2021!

Round and About

Community news from our Union brothers and sisters

Farewell, Retirees!

Celebrating Our Retirees!

The HTC Chef

Chicken Yassa By Michael Greeley, Union Chef, Crowne Plaza Times Square

I first had Chicken Yassa with a group of my former coworkers at a restaurant in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. First created in Senegal, this fusion dish combining French Dijon, North American Chili, and Mediterranean bay leaves in a West African braise, is now served throughout West Africa. Read more...

Union Uses Political Influence to Propel Reopenings

Since March of 2020, when the COVID-19 crisis decimated our industry, our Union has aggressively and tirelessly worked and fought to accomplish two objectives: 1) to push every possible lever to get as many of you back to work as quickly as possible and 2) to tap every resource to get financial relief for our members who remain laid off. Last Fall, we made progress on both of those fronts by working with our political allies in New York City and New York State. Read more...

New Jersey Law Provides Vital Protections for Hotel Workers and Guests

On Tuesday, January 18^th, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy signed into law important new legal safeguards for New Jersey hotel workers and people traveling to the State. The new law includes job security for hotel workers in the event a hotel changes hands and advanced notice of service disruptions (like union picket lines) for guests. Read more...

13 Hotels Ratify Their First Contracts!

Unbelievably, during what has been one of the absolute worst times to negotiate, our Union has succeeded in getting contracts with big improvements. Read more...

NY Takes Steps to Bring Table Games to NYC

New York Governor Kathy Hochul is advocating to speed up table games licenses for three casinos in the New York City region as part of her 2022 budget proposal. The move could potentially provide thousands of new job opportunities for laid-off hotel workers in the City. Read more...

Get Free At-Home COVID-19 Tests

Starting January 18th, all households in the United States can order a set of 4 at-home COVID-19 tests at no cost to them through the United States Postal Service. The sets will be limited to one per household. Read more...

COVID-19 Booster Shots Available At Union Health Centers!

The Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 booster shots are now available at the Union’s Queens, Midtown, Brooklyn, and Harlem health centers. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has authorized COVID-19 booster shots for all vaccinated Americans age 18 or older who received the initial series of Moderna or Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine at least six months ago. Read more...

Union H.E.L.P. Assists 214 Members Facing Housing Emergencies

Last fall, as national and local housing protections were coming to an end, the Union’s Hotel Employees Lend-a-hand Program (Union H.E.L.P.) began issuing relief checks to unemployed members facing eviction and foreclosure. Already, 214 members have been approved for the one-time, $1,000 grant — helping them stay in their homes during this prolonged crisis. Read more...

High School Seniors Can Now Apply for the 2022 College Scholarships

The Vito J. Pitta scholarship program and the Hotel and Gaming Trades Council Division A scholarship program are now accepting applications for their 2022 awards. These programs provide an outstanding opportunity for members’ children to supplement the ever-increasing high cost of college. Read more...

Here Are the 2021 Writing Contest Winners

The union's annual writing contest brought in plenty of excellent entries this year, and along with them came lots of praise for the high school students that submitted them. What's on the minds of high school students today? Well, the Supreme Court, the Second Amendment, the benefits of union membership, immigration, self-discovery and, most of all, the pandemic were topics chosen by multiple students. Highly intelligent essays on these and other subjects made for compelling reading, and there were also many gripping fiction and non-fiction narratives. The top prize in each category received $1,500 and there were four additional students who won $1,000 each. And then there was the grand prize of $3,000 for the top overall entry in the competition. 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.