The Hotel and Gaming Trades Council of NY has negotiated the biggest contract increase in the union’s history.
Over the life of the new eight-year agreement, wages will increase, on average, by more than 50%. By the end of the contract, Room Attendants and other non-tipped workers will be earning six-figures.
The agreement also maintains free family healthcare benefits. Healthcare was a defining issue in these negotiations due to significant, unexpected increases to healthcare costs at the end of 2025. The new agreement protects members free family healthcare for the life of the contract – without a single reduction in benefits and without passing any costs on to members. Under the terms negotiated by the union, employers will increase their contributions to the Health Benefits Fund by 3 percentage points from 27.25% to 30.25% of payroll – a total value of nearly $65 million per year.
The new contract also provides an increase in employer contributions to the Pension Fund in the first year of the contract – on top of the contribution increase that went into effect just this past January. These increased contributions will accelerate when the pension will reach the point where the law allows the trustees to increase pension benefits.
The Hotel and Gaming Trades Council collectively represents 40,000 workers in the NYC area.
The term of the new contract is 8 years, from July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2034.
On top of these huge gains, the union secured new benefits and unparalleled rights and protections on the job. A few of the dozens of new contract provisions include:
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New benefit funds to address the rising cost of housing, child care, and threats to jobs
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Juneteenth, as an additional paid holiday
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Fully paid parental leave
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Protections for jobs from AI and new technology
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Additional protections for immigrants during a hotel sale or change in management
Various provisions that strengthen the ability to enforce the contract including:
- Higher penalties for hotels that repeatedly underpay members
- Improved rights to information necessary to investigate, find, and fix contract violations
- Broader power for the arbitrator to craft remedies that prevent bad actors from violating the contract and abusing your rights
- Financial consequences for employers who try (and fail) to challenge arbitration decisions in court
