WHEREAS, In 2026 Philadelphia marked the United States Semiquincentennial and hosted events such as FIFA World Cup games and the Major League Baseball All-Star Game, with estimates that hotels received tens of millions of dollars in additional revenue after a 50.3% increase in revenue compared to the previous year; and
WHEREAS, Cost of living continues to be a major concern in Philadelphia as residents struggle with the impact of rising costs of everyday necessities such as food, housing, utilities, and transportation; and
WHEREAS, Unite Here Local 274 represents roughly 1,000 room attendants, cooks, servers, bartenders, dishwashers, and banquet staff across eight hotels in the City; and
WHEREAS, Contracts with these hotels expired in 2024 and Unite Here Local 274 has successfully bargained for new contracts at seven of the hotels with deals to improve wages, benefits, and workloads; and
WHEREAS, The Hilton Garden Inn remains the last hotel that has not reached a deal for a new contract with Unite Here Local 274, and management walked away from negotiations in March and laid off six employees; and
WHEREAS, A supermajority of workers at the Hilton Garden Inn have voted to authorize a strike and Unite Here Local 274 has declared the hotel is now on strike watch; and
WHEREAS, The Hilton Garden Inn is a unionized hotel in a union City, and should therefore be of the union standard; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, Hereby supports the workers of Unite Here Local 274 and calls on the management of the Hilton Garden Inn to reach a deal as the only unionized hotel in Center City without a new contract.
End