Philadelphia 250

Stuck in ‘limbo’: Union workers in Philly’s hospitality sector rally for new contracts ahead of semiquincentennial crowds

A packed 2026 event schedule is expected to draw hundreds of thousands of visitors. Workers at Philly's hotels say they’ve been working without a contract for over a year.

Cory Sharber

July 23, 2025

Dozens of hospitality workers from across Philadelphia protested outside of the Sheraton hotel in Center City on Wednesday for “respect, fair wages, and humane staffing levels” as eight hotels are operating with expired contracts. (Cory Sharber/WHYY)

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Hospitality workers across Philadelphia picketed outside of the Sheraton hotel in Center City on Wednesday as the union representing them seeks new contracts ahead of next year’s celebrations for America’s 250th anniversary.

The rally held by UNITE HERE Local 274 was meant to bring awareness to expired contracts at eight hotels across the city. The union represents roughly 4,000 workers in hotels, as well as stadiums, universities and cafeterias.

Nina Ahmad joining the protesters — Councilmember at-large Nina Ahmad (center) rallied with hospitality workers outside of the Sheraton Hotel in Center City on Wednesday. (Cory Sharber/WHYY)

According to a release from the union, the union is seeking “respect, fair wages, and humane staffing levels” as the city prepares for major events such as the FIFA World Cup, which alone is expected to bring 500,000 visitors and have a $770 million impact on the local economy. Shafeek Anderson works as a banquet steward at the Sheraton hotel and said the union is asking to reach a wage of $30 an hour within three years to keep up with living wages.

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“We’re trying to work harder and we’re trying to live our lives, but we need the money and we need the health care,” Anderson said. “We need everything else so we can and be able to keep ourselves afloat.”

Anderson said the hotel has been operating without a union contract for at least a year and called the situation “extremely stressful.”

“It feels like we’re stuck in this kind of limbo,” Anderson said. “We haven’t had a wage increase. We have to constantly kind of fight back and forth with our company to get any kind of fair treatment. It just feels like we’re doing more, but we’re stuck in the same place that we were a year ago. It’s just simply unfair. We need to be able to keep progressing forward.”

Mark Squilla speaking with a protester at the rally — District 1 Councilmember Mark Squilla rallied with hospitality workers outside of the Sheraton Hotel in Center City on Wednesday. (Cory Sharber/WHYY)

He said the hotel has opted to fill vacant positions with temporary workers.

“They’re trying to be cheap,” Anderson said. “They’re trying to hire temps over our actual workers to save a dollar. And the last time I checked, billion-dollar companies don’t need to save a dollar.”

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Members of the rallying protest speak together — Shafeek Anderson (center) rallied with other Sheraton workers outside of the hotel Wednesday and discussed working conditions as it currently operates without a union contract. (Cory Sharber/WHYY)

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.

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