Seattle Hotel Strike Ends at 85 Days
Union workers at the Embassy Suites by Hilton Seattle Downtown Pioneer Square ratified a contract with Hilton. The agreement ends an 85-day strike at the property.
UNITE HERE Local 8 announced the deal. Workers returned on Tuesday 15 September after ratifying the agreement on 10 September.
The contract covers housekeepers, tipped workers and front desk agents.
How It Started
The strike began on 18 June, during the group stage of the FIFA World Cup. The tournament opened on 11 June in Mexico City. Seattle's first match came on 15 June, three days before the walkout.
Workers called the raises the hotel offered unsatisfactory.
The hotel also turned down the union's request to alert the property when federal immigration agents were on site.
Pay
Housekeepers' starting pay reaches $31.03 an hour on 1 January 2027. Local 8 put the first-year increase at 6.9%. Housekeepers receive 23.3% across the four years of the deal.
Tipped workers receive $1 an hour above the Seattle minimum wage, on top of their tips. Seattle's minimum wage is $21.30 an hour for 2026, with no tip credit, per the Seattle Office of Labor Standards.
Healthcare
Employees who work at least 1,250 hours a year receive year-round healthcare coverage. Local 8 described the threshold as roughly 24 hours a week.
Coverage runs the full year. Local 8 listed that among the deal's central gains.
Protections for Immigrant Workers
The contract gives the union a new enforcement mechanism for emergencies that affect immigrant workers at the hotel. Local 8 called it a first for Hilton nationwide.
Workers who face immigration-related issues can return to their jobs with seniority intact for up to two years after they resolve a work permit problem.
Workloads
The contract reduces housekeeper workloads. Front desk agents won the right to file grievances over workload issues, according to the union release.
Wages at the Top of the Market
Local 8 says the walkout was the longest hotel strike in Washington state history. The Seattle Times reports the same.
Local 8 represents about 7,000 hospitality workers in Washington and Oregon. The union said housekeepers at the hotel will be the highest-paid union housekeepers in the state.
What the Union Said
"This contract includes tremendous wins on fair wages, year-round healthcare, workload, and protections for immigrant workers," Stefan Moritz, secretary-treasurer of Local 8, said in a statement.
"We have seen firsthand the importance of unity, collective bargaining, and workers' rights in achieving our goals," Fritzie Corral, an Embassy Suites breakfast attendant, said in a statement.
A Hilton spokesperson told Hotel Dive the agreement "reflects a collaborative outcome and our commitment to our valued Team Members."
Officials on the Line
Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson and King County Executive Girmay Zahilay joined the picket line on Labor Day. Both posted statements on Instagram after the contract.
"This agreement is good for workers, good for the hotel, and good for our entire region," Zahilay said in a statement.
Cost Pressure Across the Trade
The deal lands as rising operating costs press hotel owners and operators. In New York City in May, members of the Hotel and Gaming Trades Council ratified a contract with the Hotel Association of New York, which averted strikes ahead of the World Cup.