The Longest Hotel Worker Strike in WA Is Still Going On in Pioneer Square

One day in August, as Sounders fans walked to CenturyLink Field, hotel workers on strike at an Embassy Suites (Embassy Suites by Hilton Seattle Downtown Pioneer Square) made some noise. They drummed, they blew air sirens, and they chanted for better pay and working conditions. "We're fighting for us and for [employees] who are inside because we know the work and the everyday difficulties in all of our lives," said Christian Gutierrez. "The city is expensive, our rent, our bills — and we need to build a better future for each other." 

Gutierrez works in housekeeping at Embassy Suites, where hotel workers, through UNITE HERE Local 8, have been on strike since June 18. It's now the longest hotel strike in Washington history.

Local 8, which represents about 7,000 hospitality industry workers in Oregon and Washington, proposed roughly $3 an hour in raises for each of the next two years, year-round health insurance to ensure employees keep health care during the slower winter months, and notification to workers and the union if Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents are on the premises.

Jake Douglas, Local 8's campaign researcher, said bargaining started in March. In early June, 94% of Embassy Suites union workers authorized a strike. A spokesperson for Hilton Hotels wrote in a statement, "We remain committed to negotiating in good faith to reach a fair and reasonable agreement that benefits both our valued Team Members and our hotel."

About two weeks into the strike, Local 8 met with Hilton Hotels again in a large meeting with workers, where an additional yearly annual raise of 1 cent per hour was offered by Hilton Hotels. "That solidified people's resolve to keep going," said Douglas. "People felt so disrespected by an offer like that. A majority of workers have continued the strike."

The strike at Embassy Suites coincided with the start of the FIFA World Cup events in Seattle, when the federal administration initially announced there would be increased ICE presence at FIFA venues. "For us, it was a big worry," said Gutierrez. "Sometimes we read that people doubt that we are legal migrants. We have our work permit. … But we don't know what would happen with us if [ICE] came here to work."

Among worker demands were procedures to protect immigrant employees, including to inform workers if ICE was in the area. Management rejected the proposal. Douglas said this has bothered workers at Embassy Suites and has added to the mistrust.

Strikers were joined by Rep. Pramila Jayapal on the first day of the strike. In June, Gov. Bob Ferguson walked the picket line with the workers. Seattle City Council declared July 21 Hotel Worker Day and presented a statement of support for striking Embassy Suites workers. According to the Puget Sound Business Journal, a repeat corporate customer of Embassy Suites pulled its business out of the hotel, resulting in a $18,500 loss per month. 

On Labor Day, Monday, Sept. 7, at 10 a.m., King County Executive Girmay Zahilay and Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson are expected to join the striking hotel workers.

Gutierrez has worked at Embassy Suites for two years. The building has 28 floors and 282 rooms. He was assigned 10 suites a day, many of which have two beds plus a sofa bed. "We make sure everything is perfect for the guests, and you finish at 4 p.m. because you have to clock in and clock out with your finger[print] on a machine," he said. 

Gutierrez said there were times the hotel didn't receive enough towels or sheets from the laundry company, and employees would go to other floors or to the basement on limited time to find needed items. "If somebody finishes early, we can help other people who are behind on finishing their rooms," Gutierrez said. "It's a good environment. For that reason, it's important for us to protect the job." 

In January, Embassy Suites by Hilton Seattle Downtown Pioneer Square was ranked the No. 1 hotel in Seattle on Tripadvisor. 

Gutierrez was a web developer in Colombia and came to the U.S. seeking a better opportunity. He obtained a work permit and picked Seattle because of its tech industry, but said he doesn't have the connections to get a tech job. He sends money to his family in Colombia, and in August, his home in Colombia was impacted by the Pereira earthquake. "Now I need to help [my family] to make repairs for the house, and my sister is pregnant. The only person who can help them is me."

Fritzie Corral originally left Manila, Philippines, in 2013 after she paid thousands to an overseas employment agency, which got her a job at a non-Hilton hotel in Montana. Months after she arrived, the agency demanded more money, she said, and when she couldn't pay, they cut off her U.S. visa. Corral is a survivor of human trafficking, and she received a human-trafficking visa, which allowed her to bring her four children and mother to the U.S. 

Corral left Montana to be with her son in Seattle. She took a full-time position at Embassy Suites in the food and beverage department as a breakfast attendant. She arrived at work as early as 5:30 a.m. to brew coffee, bus tables, clean buffet tables, mop, and vacuum. When breakfast hours dropped to 25 hours a week, she asked to pick up more work. 

She said management offered her work that takes her to 25 to 30 hours a week, though many of those hours are at a lower pay rate than she had before. She says she wasn't informed about the lower rate. "I wonder why they didn't advertise for a seasonal position," said Corral, who lives in Burien. "Before taking the job, I had planned my finances around this. I feel deceived by my superiors."

Corral said neighboring residents and businesses have brought food and donated to the strike fund. She said some hotel guests who didn't know about the strike until they arrived have shown their support in messages to management. "At first, I was skeptical and scared about the strike. I worried about my finances." said Corral. "But when I see my colleagues, especially the young ones standing for their rights and fighting, I feel inspired and motivated. We will win."

Got an idea for a South End story you'd like to see us cover? Let me know: Yuko.Kodama@SeattleEmerald.org.