New York, NY – Those traveling to Atlantic City, New Jersey this summer can help support thousands of striking hotel casino workers there with a new union-friendly guide from UNITE Here. More than 6,000 casino workers in Atlantic City went on strike earlier this month.
As per the union: Hotel casino workers in Atlantic City voted to strike for a raise and safe workloads. With more than a million vacationers headed there this summer, the hotel workers’ union UNITE HERE announced the launch of a redesigned booking site called FairHotel that makes clear the labor status of hotels and casinos so travelers, families, and professionals can avoid hotels with active picketlines and strikes and stay in control of their plans.
Guests who choose FairHotels are supporting good jobs that are enough to raise a family on. Employees of FairHotels often enjoy wages, benefits, and retirement plans well above the standard for comparable non-union positions.
Using the site, groups and meeting planners can search by location, hotel brand, number of rooms, and size of ballroom space, in addition to the status of labor disputes. Travelers can easily avoid patronizing hotels where workers have called a boycott. Properties are listed as “Please Patronize,” “At Risk,” “Labor Dispute/Boycott List,” “Strike,” and “Lockout” to help customers plan ahead.
FairHotel also provides model contract clauses to help meeting planners protect a group event, ensure clean rooms, and allow groups to relocate if necessary.
“The labor movement is hot right now, and support for unions is higher than it’s been in decades. Deliberately staying in union hotels shows working people that the public is behind them. Checking FairHotel before you travel is the best way to avoid showing up to a hotel with a picketline,” said UNITE HERE President D. Taylor.
“Because of our union contract at a FairHotel, my family has great healthcare. My coworkers and I have a way to get our supervisors to listen to us and respond to our needs,” said Karen Betancourt, a Server/Barista at Westin Gaslamp San Diego.
FairHotel is a program hosted by UNITE HERE, the union of hospitality workers in the U.S. and Canada. UNITE HERE members are predominantly women and people of color, hailing from all corners of the planet. FairHotel helps travelers use their consumer power to support good hospitality jobs where employees have greater protections and opportunities.
