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Mayor John Whitmire held his first State of the City address on September 17, 2024.
After postponing his “State of the City” address scheduled for earlier this year due to a worker strike at the Hilton Americas-Houston, Mayor John Whitmire announced Monday that the annual event will be held Feb. 12.
Whitmire’s address was originally scheduled for Sept. 25 at the downtown hotel. However, the mayor postponed the event several weeks before it was set to take place due to a strike by hotel workers affiliated with the UNITE HERE Local 23 union. Whitmire said at the time that he had postponed the event “out of respect for the ongoing contract negotiations.”
The 40-day strike ended in October. In a social media post Monday, the mayor’s office announced the “State of the City” address will now take place at 11 a.m. Feb. 12 at the Hilton Americas-Houston Grand Ballroom.
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Whitmire is expected to discuss “public safety, infrastructure and quality of life issues,” according to the post.
“Addressing key industry leaders and officials, Mayor Whitmire will share an update on his administration’s progress since taking office and highlight his top priorities that will continue to elevate the city of Houston and its economy,” the event’s website states.
The event will be hosted by the Houston First Corporation — which owns the Hilton-Americas Houston — and the Greater Houston Partnership, an economic development organization.
The Hilton Americas-Houston union workers began their strike on Labor Day, Sept. 2. The strike lasted for more than a month, and the workers ultimately secured a raise from $16.50 per hour to $20 per hour, with the hourly wage increasing to $22 by the end of a three-year contract.