PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — The strike is over. After nine days, workers at the Sheraton Philadelphia Downtown have reached a tentative agreement for a new contract.
The deal brings a major boost to wages, pensions, gratuity and healthcare coverage.
“It was so amazing. Everybody shouted. I fell to my knees; I cried. I did everything in front of my coworkers because we fought so hard to get this done,” said Shop Steward Wanda White on Tuesday.
White said it is not right to allow hotel owners to make big profits from 2026 events without properly paying staff who do the work day in and day out.
“The World Cup — they made their money, but they want to lowball us for not getting our $30 an hour. So we had the strike, and we stayed out here until they came and called and said we’re ready to do something.”Sheraton Downtown is the largest unionized hotel in Philadelphia, represented by UNITE HERE Local 274. The union represents over 4,000 workers in the city.
Union members will hold a ratification vote to approve a 36% wage increase to $30 an hour for non-tipped employees by January 2028, among other benefits. The increase would put compensation on par with the citywide standard for unionized hotels.
If approved, the contract will be the first since the previous agreement expired in 2024.
On Tuesday, union members marched from the hotel to City Hall to celebrate the deal and stand in solidarity with workers at the Hilton Garden Inn, the last unionized Center City hotel without a contract.
The deal ends their 9-day strike
The deal ends their 9-day strike
