Omni Providence Hotel workers vote to authorize a strike

Unionized workers at downtown Providence’s largest hotel voted to authorize a strike Wednesday, more than seven months after their last contract expired.

A total of 165 members of UNITE HERE! Local 26, which represents 180 hospitality workers at the Omni Providence, voted in favor of a strike if their demands for a new contract offering higher wages and improved pension benefits went unanswered.

Providence hotel workers demand higher wages in ‘Make Them Pay’ picket

Participating workers are employed as room attendants, housepersons, front desk agents, lobby attendants, bellpersons, banquet servers, utility stewards, cooks, cashiers, engineers, gym attendants, and other positions.

“It’s not easy to come to the decision to go on strike, but the message is, this is what we need,” said George Cook, a banquet houseperson and member of the union’s negotiating committee who has worked at the Omni for over 25 years. He said his wages are not keeping up with the cost of living, noting his monthly rent has increased $500 in the last few years.

“We have made this hotel what it is,” Cook added. “We have employees who have opened this building, and the Omni needs to show respect for its workers by coming to the table.”

Shakira Abad Payano, a room inspector for the Omni, said her paycheck is not enough to keep up with the increasing cost of her rent and child care costs for her two young kids. So she has been driving Uber on top of her full-time job at the hotel.

“I think everybody in housekeeping is on the same page,” Abad Payano said. “Rent, food, everything is very, very expensive. Some people have family in another country — the Dominican Republic — they need help, the family… and no money.”

The union agreed in 2022 to extend their previous contract for two years because of the pandemic. The contract expired Jan. 31, 2024.

Omni employees accepted a more conservative contract early in the pandemic as the hospitality industry suffered significant financial losses, Cook said. He added that workers signed the agreement anticipating that wages and raises would be adjusted to reflect inflation after the public health emergency ended.

The union says it last met with hotel management on June 9. Negotiations stalled after a mid-July follow up meeting was canceled. Local 26 has not heard from the hotel since, Cook said.

Rhode Island Current reached out multiple times to Omni management for comment but did not receive a reply.

Local 26 held a rally outside the Omni Providence on July 18 that drew approximately 60 members. U.S. Rep. Seth Magaziner, Providence City Council President Rachel Miller and state Rep. Jennifer Stewart, a Pawtucket Democrat, also attended to show their support.

Omni Providence hotel workers’ strike vote coincided with a strike vote among Local 26 hotel workers at the Omni Parker House and the Omni Boston Seaport Hotel in Boston. Results of the strike vote in Boston will be announced at a press conference Thursday evening, the union said in a news release. 

Across the U.S. and Canada, over 40,000 hotel workers in more than 20 cities have contracts up for renegotiation this year, and additional strike votes in other major cities may be announced, the union said. UNITE HERE members won record contracts last year after rolling strikes at Los Angeles hotels.