NYC Hotel Assn. Releases "Five Facts" About Worker Compensation, State of Hotels Ahead of Planned Union Rally

NEW YORK, NY (02/27/2026) (readMedia)-- The Hotel and Gaming Trades Council plans to rally today, calling for "fair" compensation for workers while claiming a strike is on the table - four full months before its current agreement with the hotel industry expires. That potential strike could also occur in the middle of the World Cup, one of New York City's greatest economic opportunities of 2026, which hundreds-of-thousands of workers in-and-out of the hotel industry rely on.

In response, the Hotel Association of New York City put out "Five Facts" about current worker compensation – which HTC President Rich Maroko called the "gold standard" for workers – and the declining state of the industry in New York.

FACT 1:

Unionized hotel workers in NYC are the highest paid in the United States.

The base salary for a room attendant is about $40, which is $23 per hour more than non-union hotel workers, $8 more than NYC prevailing wage, $11 more than in Chicago and Washington D.C., $8.50 more than Los Angeles and Boston, and $6 more than in San Francisco. Union hotel workers in New York also earn as much as $13 per hour more than other union employees in the city for performing similar work.

NYC Hotels' "contracts are the gold standard in the unionized industry with the highest wages, best benefits, and most robust rights and protections." – HTC President Rich Maroko

Source: July 2024 message to workers (begins at :23 second mark)

FACT 2:

Unionized hotel workers in NYC receive excellent benefits.

All workers receive a pension and they and their dependents pay nothing for going to the doctor, seeing a specialist, for medical exams like x-rays, for surgery (even elective surgery), emergency room visits, dental care (including orthodonture), and only pay a small $5 co-pay for generic drugs and $15 for brand drugs. By contrast, employees in other major city unions can pay hundreds or thousands of dollars for medical, hospitalization, dental, pharmacy and other benefits and services.

FACT 3:

NYC's economy heavily relies on the hotel industry and tourism.

The hotel industry supports tens-of-thousands of hotel workers--the vast majority of whom are foreign-born and unionized-and produces close to $4 billion in annual tax revenue that funds essential public services. It also supports nearly 400,000 tourism jobs.

FACT 4:

The NYC hotel industry is in steep decline as costs, taxes and regulations have increased.

New York City has lost 20,000 rooms and 24% of its unionized workforce since 2019.

FACT 5:

The hotel industry in New York City is projected to keep declining unless there is relief.

Two million fewer visitors traveled to New York in 2025 than projected, and a half-million fewer visitors are expected this year than in 2019. Persistent inflation, tariffs, declining tourism, and rising operating costs now threaten an essential New York industry that is a cornerstone of the city's economy and the backbone of its tourism sector.

"The current union hotel contract provides the highest pay, best benefits and most robust protections in the country to workers–a fact the industry takes pride in. That's why there hasn't been a labor dispute in the New York City hotel industry for 40 years, and why there absolutely doesn't need to be one now–especially during World Cup," said Vijay Dandapani, CEO and President of the Hotel Association of New York City (HANYC). "It is extremely premature for the union to threaten a strike during World Cup and put a huge economic opportunity for hotel workers and the city at risk. In fact, the union's own president has called our current contract the "gold standard" for its members."

"It is in this time of decline for the hotel industry that the World Cup will be coming to our city. The World Cup can provide a much-needed financial boost to all hotels, especially those facing the potential of closure," Dandapani said.