Workers at the Graduate hotel by Hilton Berkeley picketed Friday afternoon, calling on management to stay neutral ahead of their upcoming union election.
About 45 housekeepers, front desk staff and supporters gathered on Durant Avenue in red union T-shirts, joined by labor leaders, UC Berkeley students and three Berkeley City Council members. Hotel staff notified management of majority support for a union July 10 and filed for an election with the National Labor Relations Board through Unite Here Local 2.
Workers said understaffing, impossible workloads and the high cost of living drove the campaign.
Rosalva Rodriguez, a housekeeper at the hotel, said she is expected to clean as many as 20 rooms a shift while the hotel lacks supplies.
“They demand a perfect cleaning standard, and it’s impossible with the high quantity of rooms they give us,” Rodriguez said.
Rodriguez, a single mother who cares for her mother with Alzheimer’s, said she considered taking a second job but cannot because of her responsibilities to her family.
She hopes a union can deliver her and her coworkers increased pay, better benefits and respect.
“We are tired and overworked every day. For that reason, we’re fighting because we want the union. I want change for myself and for all of my coworkers,” Rodriguez said.
According to Rodriguez, she earns $21.80 an hour and cannot afford the hotel’s insurance plan. She said she has considered quitting but stayed because of her years on the job.
District 7 Councilmember Cecilia Lunaparra, who represents the district in which the hotel is located, told workers she “stand(s) in solidarity” with them to ensure a fair contract and a union. Councilmembers Igor Tregub and Brent Blackaby also spoke, with Blackaby calling Berkeley “a strong union town.”
Alongside City Council members, workers were joined by members from the UC Berkeley Labor Center, the Democratic Socialists of America and the Alameda Labor Council. District 7 Berkeley City Council candidate Syrak Micael picketed as well.
Hallie Austin, a front desk representative, said workers have been organizing for six months after comparing wages and benefits to other Berkeley hotels.
“We just felt that the amount of work we’re doing versus the pay that we’re receiving is not very balanced,” Austin said.
She said the health insurance plan leaves workers paying $200 every paycheck.
The hotel is managed by Schulte Hospitality Group and owned by Nashville-based AJ Capital Partners and Hilton Worldwide. None of the organizations responded to requests for comment as of press time.
“It is so powerful standing along with this coalition of union members across the Bay Area, the students, the DSA members,” Micael told the crowd. “I’m so proud of these workers, and we support you in your fight to organize and your fight for the idea that one job should be enough.”
Workers are scheduled to vote Friday.