Strikes begin at 2 Center City Philadelphia hotels

From Philly and the Pa. suburbs to South Jersey and Delaware, what would you like WHYY News to cover? Let us know!

Strikes have begun at two Center City Philadelphia hotels, with workers demanding better workplace protections and fair wages ahead of next year’s celebrations for America’s 250th anniversary.

Union contracts at nine hotels in the city have expired, according to UNITE HERE Local 274, which represents more than 4,000 hotel and food workers at Philadelphia’s stadiums, hotels and airports.

Workers began walking the picket line at the Sheraton Philadelphia Downtown at 17th and Race streets, and the Hampton Inn Philadelphia Center City-Convention Center at 13th and Race streets at 5 a.m. Sunday, according to the union’s website.

The union says labor disputes are possible at any time at the following hotels:

• Hilton Garden Inn Center City
• The Warwick Hotel Rittenhouse Square
• Sonesta Hotel Philadelphia
• Wyndham Philadelphia Historic District
• Hilton Philadelphia at Penn’s Landing
• Sheraton Hotel Philadelphia University City

A contract with food and beverage workers at Philadelphia International Airport Terminals B and F has also expired.

“During a strike, regular employees will not be there to scrub the toilets, change the sheets, cook the food, or take out the trash,” according to the union’s website. “Picket lines, which involve chanting, loud drumming, and other noise, may persist for 24 hours per day.”

The Sheraton Downtown is owned by Miami-based investor Cambridge Landmark, and the Hampton Inn Center City is owned by Blackstone’s real estate investment trust, BREIT.

Back in July, workers picketed outside of the Sheraton demanding “respect, fair wages, and humane staffing levels.” One worker said the hotel has been operating without a union contract for at least a year and called the situation “extremely stressful.” He also said vacant positions were being filled with temporary workers.

Philadelphia will host several large-scale events next year for America’s semiquincentennial, including the MLB All-Star Game, the PGA Championship and the first and second rounds of the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship.

The FIFA World Cup is also set to have matches in Philadelphia next year. Those events alone are expected to bring 500,000 visitors and have a $770 million impact on the local economy.

WHYY News has reached out to Sheraton and BREIT for comment and will update once a response is received.