PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Workers at the Sheraton Philadelphia Downtown hotel have a tentative agreement after spending the last nine days on strike.
Hotel employees have been working without a contract for about two years.
They went on strike during this busy tourism season to pressure management for wage increases.
The union UNITE HERE Local 274 announced an end to the work stoppage after nine days because a deal was reached.
Shop Steward Wanda White said she couldn’t contain herself when she heard the news.
“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,” she said.
White said it wasn’t right to allow hotel owners to make big profits on large 2026 events without properly paying staff who do the work day in and day out.
“They made their money, but they want to lowball us. So we had to strike and we stayed out here until they came and called and said we’re ready to do something,” she said.
The union says it has secured a 36% wage increase to $30 an hour for non-tipped employees by January 2028.
There’s also a reduction in room quota for housekeeping room attendants.
The company agreed to increase the pension plan and improve healthcare coverage.
Union members marched from the hotel to City Hall on Tuesday to celebrate the deal and stand in solidarity with workers at the Hilton Garden Inn, which is the last unionized Center City hotel without a contract.
