The Omni New Haven Hotel and its employees agree on a new contract following strike

NEW HAVEN, Conn. (WTNH) — Employees of the Omni New Haven Hotel reached an agreement on a new contract with the hotel Saturday afternoon following months of protests and negotiations.

The New contracts include a first-year wage increase up to 14.5% and and access to union healthcare and pension plan benefits.

“We are thrilled that our members at the Omni New Haven Hotel at Yale stood together and secured a contract that respects their hard work and dedication,” Josh Stanley, Secretary-Treasurer of Local 217–UNITE HERE, said in a statement released to the press on Saturday.

The strike was a part of a national plan to apply pressure to the service industry over treatment of employees. Omni Hotel workers were among 10,000 workers across the U.S. who went on strike in September. Service industry negotiations in Baltimore, Boston, Honolulu and Seattle remain unresolved.

Stanley went on to say, ” “We are seeing a wave of worker power in the hospitality industry, and these wins in Connecticut will inspire workers from coast to coast.”

The contract for most workers at the Omni Hotel expired on March 31st of this year and many refused to resign citing rigorous workloads and salaries that couldn’t meet the current cost of living as their reasons. Negotiations between the employees, who are members of Union Local 217 -UNITE HERE, and the hotel slowed over the summer, leading to the strike in September.

On the morning of September 12, a total of 122 employees, including housekeepers, cooks, servers, bartenders and bellmen, walked off their posts at the hotel for four days.

Now, on the other side of the strike, employees at the Omni are able to make plans for their future.

Kadiata Lam has been a Room Attendant at the Omni for the last seven years. Lam, who participated in the strike, said “I can finally start saving for retirement and furnish the new apartment I’m moving into with my daughter…  It is a huge step forward for all of us, and I’m so proud of what we’ve achieved together.”

News 8 has reached out to the Omni Hotel for a comment on the new contract.

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