Hotel industry scores a win for workers who welcome the world — and why it matters for Haitian New Yorkers

New York City’s tourism workers helped keep this city moving through some of its most difficult moments, and they have earned the wages, benefits, and protections that come with that service.

City and community leaders are applauding the Hotel Association of New York City (HANYC) for reaching a new eight-year contract with the Hotel and Gaming Trades Council (HTC) — a nation-leading agreement that the union voted to ratify in May. Despite significant economic headwinds facing the hotel industry, it secured a contract for workers that continues a long-standing tradition of offering the best hotel wages and benefits in the country, while adding provisions to keep healthcare costs under control.

For the tens of thousands of immigrant New Yorkers who work in the city’s hotels, the agreement delivers real and immediate gains: wage increases that average more than five percent each year, the continuation of nearly fully employer-paid healthcare for workers and their families, and brand-new employer-funded housing and childcare benefits.

New York’s hotel workforce is overwhelmingly immigrant — 67 percent foreign-born — and the city’s Haitian community is woven into it, in housekeeping, food service, front-desk, and banquet roles across the five boroughs. When hotels are strong, and workers are paid fairly, families across Brooklyn, Queens, and beyond feel the difference.

“The small businesses represented by the Caribbean American Chamber of Commerce, and the many workers from immigrant communities who have built family-supporting careers in tourism and hospitality, will benefit tremendously from this agreement,” said Dr. Jean G. Joseph, President of the Caribbean American Chamber of Commerce. “This contract helps provide the stability needed for the nearly 400,000 New Yorkers who rely on the hospitality industry for work.”

The timing matters. With the FIFA World Cup arriving in New York this summer, a stable hotel industry is essential — not only for the workers who staff it, but for the restaurants, shops, and neighborhood businesses preparing to welcome visitors from around the world.

Even so, the work is not finished. The industry still faces serious pressure: the highest taxes in the nation, the loss of 20,000 hotel rooms since the pandemic, and demand that has not yet recovered to pre-pandemic levels. Without continued support from local government, the jobs and services that so many immigrant families depend on remain at risk.

Now more than ever, the city of New York must stand with the Haitian New Yorkers who, day after day, help keep our hotels running — and with all the tourism workers who make it possible for this city to keep welcoming the world.

Stand in solidarity. Help protect the people and the industry at the heart of New York City’s tourism economy.

Take action by visiting www.savenychotels.com.

Paid advertisement. This sponsored content was provided by the Hotel Association of New York City.

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