About 40 workers at the Graduate by Hilton Berkeley hotel voted to unionize in late July.
Staff working as housekeepers, restaurant servers, bartenders, front desk agents and others notified owners of the Hilton-branded hotel in early July they intended to hold an election to join Unite Here Local 2, after filing a notice with the National Labor Relations Board to hold the legally protected vote.
Graduate by Hilton is an international hotel chain that is owned by AJ Capital Partners and operated by Schulte Hospitality Group under the Hilton brand. It caters to visitors of college towns and major universities, including University of California Berkeley, according to its website.
Workers objected to what a Unite Here spokesperson said were inconsistent and inadequate staffing levels that left them doing multiple jobs.
They also said unionizing would give them greater protection against layoffs and a better chance to negotiate increased wages and benefits.
Rosalva Rodriguez, a housekeeper at the Graduate by Hilton Berkeley, said in a statement provided by the union that she was glad the vote was successful amid rising costs of living.
“I am proud of us for fighting for the union and winning,” Rodriguez said. “I wanted the union because I’m a single mom and everything is so expensive. Housekeeping work is hard and it’s stressful because I’m assigned so many rooms.”
The vote to join Unite Here Local 2 was held on July 31. The union represents about 15,000 hospitality workers in the Bay Area, according to the union.
The union and hotel staff held two pickets at the hotel at 2600 Durant Ave. during the organizing drive that the union said were supported by the UC Berkeley Faculty Association, United Autoworkers Local 4811, and several UC Berkeley student groups.