NEW HAVEN, Conn. — Workers at the Omni New Haven Hotel at Yale took to the streets on Sunday to rally for a new contract.
According to union LOCAL 217 – UNITE HERE, which organized the rally, hundreds of supporters joined the hotel workers as they blew horns, chanted and waved signs that read “We Work. Who Profits?” and “We Are Strike Ready.”
On the same day that parents and students filed into downtown New Haven as part of Yale’s undergraduate move-in day, local union members joined the hotel workers in making a statement by marching through the rain to demand a new contract.
In a release, LOCAL 217 – UNITE HERE said the rally served to shine a light on the struggles of Omni employees who have faced increased workloads, stagnant wages and worsening conditions while the hotel industry has recovered post pandemic and is observing record profits.
Workers at the hotel on Temple Street, who are members of Local 217 – UNITE HERE, have been in negotiations with management since last November. The release said their previous contract expired in January but was extended for two months in a show of progress.
Local 217 – UNITE HERE said workers are asking for affordable healthcare, increased pension contributions, minimum safety standards and affordable wages. According to the union, current negotiations have put hotel management far away from what it would consider to be a fair deal, and employees voted to authorize a strike on Aug. 7.
During Sunday's rally, longtime Omni lobby attendant Barbara Pearse Mabery spoke on the obstacles employees faced during the pandemic as well as the fight for fair pay and respect.
“Somehow in the times when we struggle most, the Omni makes money,” Pearse Mabery said in the release. “Do you think that’s fair?”
Omni front desk agent Bobby May spoke about his family’s connection to union struggles, as he said his father’s union health insurance saved his life.
“Just like my father went on strike for 13 months, I am ready to do whatever it takes to win our contract,” May said in the release, as he stressed that workers are determined to receive a fair deal.
According to Local 217 – UNITE HERE, hotel profits have surged since the pandemic, with gross operating profits being reportedly 26.63% higher in 2022 than in 2019. The release said that at the Omni hotel in New Haven, room attendants earned $18.22 per hour in January 2020, which did increase to $20.62 per hour by August 2024.
That said, after factoring in national inflation averages, the union said a room attendant now makes effectively less than they did in 2020; $18.22 in 2020 reportedly had the same purchasing power as $22.19 in 2024.
Local 217 – UNITE HERE notes that house prices have risen 60% since 2019 and rent has risen 40% during that time in New Haven. Union members report that grocery costs have risen far more locally than the 22% inflation average.
The rally in New Haven is part of a national effort to demand fair pay in the hotel industry, as strike votes have been announced in Baltimore, Boston, Honolulu, Providence, San Diego, San Francisco, San Jose and Seattle.
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In the release, U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal [D] voiced his support for the workers.
“This is what America looks like. This is how we build opportunity for working families,” Blumenthal said in the release. “The workers at the Omni are fighting for things every working person deserves. We have your backs until you win respect, fair wages and an excellent standard.”
Josh Stanley, secretary-treasurer of Local 217 – UNITE HERE and chief negotiator, spoke about the larger fight against economic inequality.
“We’re here today because of the courage of these workers to stand up for their rights,” Stanley said in the release. “The hotel industry is booming, but these workers are being left behind. It’s time for the Omni to do what’s right and settle a fair contract without a strike, but if that doesn’t happen, we are ready to act.”
Omni Hotel did not immediately respond upon request for a comment.
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Dalton Zbierski is a digital content producer and writer at FOX61 News. He can be reached at dzbierski@FOX61.com.
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