More than 100 Embassy Suites employees will soon vote on whether to authorize a strike, which could begin at any time.
SEATTLE — About 113 unionized workers at a busy hotel near Lumen Stadium may go on strike ahead of large crowds arriving in Seattle for the FIFA World Cup, which is expected to bring more than 750,000 visitors to the city.
“This is when everyone is at the hotel and this is when the strike is most painful,” said front desk employee Hayden Eyerly.
The contract between Embassy Suites employees, represented by Unite Here Local 8, and parent company Hilton expired on May 31. Workers informed management that they would vote on Friday, June 5, whether to authorize a strike.
“We’re very serious,” Airlie said. “We hope this doesn’t actually lead to this. We hope we can have a genuine conversation about the demands we’re trying to meet, but if we do, we’ll all be together and support each other no matter what.”
Union leadership has said a strike could begin at any time, including during the World Cup, if union members vote in favor of a strike.
Contract negotiations began on March 2. A union researcher told KING 5 Hilton’s current offer is a raise of less than a dollar a year over five years. By comparison, workers at the Seattle-area Hilton hotels that went on strike last year were paid more than twice that amount.
Workers also sought ICE protection for the property, but Hilton rejected the request, union leaders said.
Most of Local 8’s members are immigrants.
“We are all concerned about our colleagues, and that includes the potential for additional safeguards around ICE and their activities in our region and their potential proximity to FIFA,” Airlie said.
Workers are also seeking higher wages, better health care and a return to pre-pandemic staffing levels.
“We all feel overworked and understaffed,” Airlie said. “We are fighting for a fair workload and reasonable staffing levels.”
KING 5 has reached out to Hilton and the local Embassy Suites hotel for comment.
