PHILADELPHIA — UNITE HERE Local 274 members at two union-organized Philadelphia hotels went on strike Oct. 5. There are 150 union workers at the Sheraton Philadelphia Downtown, and 40 at Hampton Inn Center City. This is the first strike at the Sheraton, the largest union-organized hotel here.
After workers have been ravaged by years of inflation, the union is demanding a significant wage increase, improved pensions and health care, and an end to long-standing understaffing.
The Sheraton has 760 rooms. Eighteen years ago it had a staff of 350; now it has less than half that. The workers include room attendants, cooks, bartenders and others. The picket line is up around the clock and solidarity visits are welcome. Teamsters Local 169, which represents the engineers at the Sheraton, is honoring the picket line.
Members of the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA are also refusing to cross the picket line. International AFA Vice President Keturah Johnson has helped lead chants on the Sheraton picket line. “Our union represents some 50,000 flight attendants at 20 airlines and many stay at this hotel. If the hotel workers can’t do their job, we can’t do ours,” she said.