Hotel workers picket for higher wages

A group of several dozen Baltimore hospitality workers and supporters picketed outside the Hyatt Regency hotel on Light St. during rush hour Thursday, pushing for higher pay for hundreds of local employees at that hotel and at the nearby Hilton Baltimore.

"People cannot live on those wages. It's completely unrealistic," said Jeffrey Barner, a bellman at the Hilton.

"Management - they ask you to greet the guests with a smile, shake their hands, and everything. But it's kind of hard to do that when, in the back of your mind, you're trying to figure out how you're going to keep the lights on or put food on the table. It's a lot of stress," said Barner.

Tracy Lingo, president of Unite Here Local 7, told WMAR the union represents about 120 Hyatt workers and roughly 300 at the city-owned Hilton.

"For Local 7, we haven't re-bargained these contracts since before COVID, and what we've really seen is Baltimore's wages for unionized hotel workers lag really far behind other area standards," said Tracy Lingo, president of Unite Here Local 7.

The Hyatt contract expired in February, and the Hilton contract is on an extension but expires on August 15, Lingo said.

If there's no deal, WMAR asked the union's president if it was considering striking.

"I think that's a decision we're making right now," Lingo said. "I think we're getting ourselves ready, because unfortunately, what we're seeing from the employers is they're just not willing to put the kind of money Baltimore really needs on the table."

WMAR reached out to both Hyatt and Hilton for a comment on Thursday.

"Our purpose is to care for people so they can be their best. Our colleagues are the heart of our business, and their wellbeing is always a top priority. Hyatt has a long history of cooperation with the unions that represent our employees, including UNITE HERE Local 7," Michael D'Angelo, head of labor relations for the Americas at Hyatt, told WMAR in a statement.

"Under recent collective bargaining agreements with UNITE HERE, Hyatt hotels continue to offer our eligible employees competitive wages and benefits, as well as comprehensive healthcare coverage. We look forward to continuing to negotiate a fair contract with UNITE HERE Local 7 and recognize the contributions of our employees," the statement continued.

Among those in the Thursday picket: Zeke Cohen, Democratic nominee for Baltimore City Council President.

"These folks deserve to be paid well, because the reality is, hospitality is a huge part of our city. They're the front face of Baltimore when people come to this city to enjoy our tourism to enjoy our incredible rich culture here," Cohen told WMAR.

The union behind the picket represents about 2,000 total workers in Baltimore and Maryland.