PROVIDENCE
– Workers at the Omni Providence Hotel voted overwhelmingly to authorize a strike, the UNITE HERE Local 26 union announced Wednesday night.
After a 12-hour voting period, 165 Local 26 workers, or 83% of its membership at the hotel, voted yes to authorizing a strike, while four voted no.
With the union's contract having expired on Jan. 31, hotel workers are calling for measures such as wage increases, better pensions benefits and fewer hiring obstacles, Local 26 said in an announcement.
In that announcement, workers described a lack of support from the Omni amid significant cost of living increases, while hotel executives enjoy rising compensation.
“On my days off from the hotel, I am working 10-12 hours at my other job," said Shakira Abad Payano, a full-time room inspector. "I work seven days a week so that I can give my kids a better life, but I have no time to spend with them. Everything is expensive: rent, childcare, groceries. I earn just enough to survive from day to day. I need a raise so I can save enough money to buy a house.”
George Cook, a banquet houseperson at the hotel, described similar hardships despite a long tenure.
“I’ve worked at the hotel for more than 25 years, and I’m closer than ever to living check-to-check," he said. "My rent has gone up $500 in the last two years. The prices of everything, including basic food items like butter and eggs, have increased a lot. I don’t have the money to travel to see my family, or to go out to eat. I can’t afford not to go on strike."
The Omni did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The vote does not guarantee a strike, but authorizes union leadership to begin a strike at any time.
A broad range of hotel workers participated in the vote, including room attendants, front desk agents, bellpersons, banquet servers, engineers, cooks, cashiers, gym attendants, lobby attendants and housepersons.
"The workers at Omni Providence have made this difficult decision because they know the future of their families is at stake," Unite Here Local 26 president Carlos Aramayo said in a statement.
"They want the hotel to respect their work by paying them fair wages that are commensurate with the cost of living," he continued, and "to respect their guests by providing adequate staffing and supplies, especially in the housekeeping department. The workers have made it clear that if their demands are not met, they will
strike.”
To the north, Local 26 hotel workers in Boston also voted to authorize a strike last night, which the union said marks "the first time the hotel workers’ union has organized a
strike vote of this magnitude."
The Providence and Boston workers also join Unite Here union members in Honolulu and San Francisco in authorizing a strike vote this month, bringing the total number of potentially striking workers to around 13,500 across the four states.
The unionized hotel employees work at Hilton, Hyatt, Marriott and Omni hotels.
Jacquelyn Voghel is a PBN staff writer. You may reach her at Voghel@PBN.com.
