© 2025 KWBU
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

After 40 days on picket line, union workers at Hilton Americas-Houston end strike

Workers picket outside of the Hilton Americas-Houston to demand higher wages on Sept. 2, 2025.

Striking hotel workers have reached a deal with Hilton Americas-Houston that will raise the minimum wage of housekeepers, stewards and laundry attendants to $20 per hour.

The workers' union, UNITE HERE Local 23, negotiated a contract with Hilton that will raise employees' hourly wages to $22 by the end of the contract. A union spokesperson told Houston Public Media the contract will last for three years.

"This victory is an attestation of our members' strength, their will, and determination," Franchesca Caraballo, Texas chapter president of UNITE HERE Local 23, said in a news release. "They held the line for over a month in the heat and rain, as they fought to secure better standards after being left behind for so long."

Union leaders said the contract includes "strong job security protections," better workloads for housekeepers and increased job safety.

Union workers spent 40 days on strike, demanding Hilton raise their minimum hourly wage from $16.50 to $23.

The hotel is owned by the Houston First Corporation, which promotes the city’s tourism and convention industry. The corporation sawrecord-breaking profitsfrom the hotel in 2023 and all-time high revenue last year, though profits decreased due to record expenses.

The union described the strike as the first in Texas history. Texas State University labor historian, Tom Alter, previously told Houston Public Mediathat he couldn't find another hotel strike in the state's historic record.

Hilton was not immediately available for comment.

UNITE HERE Local 23 also represents workers at the George R. Brown Convention Center, who could also go on strike as they negotiate a new contract, aiming to raise minimum hourly wages from $16 to $23.

In a statement to Houston Public Media, Houston First President and CEO Michael Heckman, President and CEO said he was glad both sides were able to come to an agreement.

“Houston First is pleased that Hilton and Unite Here Local 23 were able to reach a new collective bargaining agreement,” he wrote. “This deal gives our valuable hospitality workers, who are the lifeblood of our industry, a fair deal that reflects their hard work and dedication.

“Furthermore, we believe that the agreement reached meets the goal of balancing industry standards, the competitive marketplace, and the need to maintain and fairly compensate a strong and dedicated workforce. Labor negotiations can be complicated and we commend both sides for working in good faith to make this resolution possible.”

Houston Mayor John Whitmire also shared a statement on social media in which he thanked all the parties involved for reaching a “positive outcome.”

Copyright 2025 Houston Public Media News 88.7

Natalie Weber, Fort Bend County Bureau