Omni Hotel Workers Vote To Strike

Omni Hotel workers unanimously voted to authorize a strike Wednesday night — in a bid to win better pay, healthcare, and pensions amid ongoing negotiations over a new union contract. 

The vote doesn’t mean that the Omni’s housekeepers, front desk agents, cooks, and other employees will immediately stop coming to work. But it does mean their union can call a strike at any time.

That was the outcome of a vote that took place between 4 and 7 p.m. Wednesday night across the street from the 155 Temple St. hotel, which is formally called the Omni New Haven Hotel at Yale.

All 93 unionized Omni workers who cast ballots in the vote supported authorizing a strike. No one voted in opposition.

The Omni hotel union is represented by UNITE HERE Local 217, and includes a total of 120 members. Represented workers include housekeepers, front desk agents, cooks, dishwashers, servers, bartenders, bellmen, and others. 

A press advisory sent to the Independent made clear that Wednesday night’s strike authorization vote does not necessarily mean the workers will walk out of their jobs right away. ​“A successful strike authorization vote does not mean a strike will occur immediately, but the union’s negotiating committee would be authorized to call a strike at any time.”

Negotiations are still ongoing between the union and hotel management over a new contract.

Omni general manager David Han declined to comment because the ongoing negotiations are not finished, only saying that he looks ​“forward to a solution” for the two sides.

The workers join a nation-wide movement of hospitality workers this week from Honolulu to Boston organized by UNITE HERE who are taking strike votes in their fight for wage increases and job protections. These votes come soon after New Haven native Gwen Mills was elected president of the international union earlier this year. 

For the Omni workers in particular, negotiations have been ongoing since their contract expired in late March.

“We’ve really been trying to explain how hard it is for people day to day,” union representative Isadora Milanez said. ​“We’re just taking the next steps so they understand us.”

Right across the street from the Omni Hotel, Local 217 representatives set up a voting booth. As workers stopped by and voted between roughly 4 and 7 p.m. Wednesday, representatives handed out pins, advertising a rallying event on the 18th. 

On the scene, Milanez was joined by housekeeping staffer Carla Vallati. Both discussed ways to get workers to the booth and vote — perhaps one of them could drive to workers’ homes and pick them up. But some workers, as Vallati shared, have busy schedules, some working two jobs to make rent. And others, according to Milanez, are houseless, despite being employed by the Omni.

“People are just people. One day you’re feeling one way, and another day, [you feel different]. It’s been a struggle to get people on board,” Vallati said.

Vallati started working at the Omni in 2015. She was laid off during the pandemic. After 15 months off the job, she was rehired, thanks to an alder-approved local hotel worker recall law in 2021.

Behind her, Omni workers had written what causes they would go on strike for: ​“better wages,” ​“more money,” ​“job security.” Vallati’s specific issue is that workers do not have the materials needed to carry out their tasks, bringing up linen shortages as an issue when cleaning rooms. As for wages, Milanez did not disclose a specific figure increase, but emphasized that the wage should be a livable one in Connecticut.

For Selina Edwards, a livable wage was why she voted to authorize a strike. Edwards began working at the Omni in 2018 and lost her job due to Covid for two years before returning as a steward.

“From what I’ve heard, we need a lot of yeses,” Edwards said, before heading back into the Omni to finish her shift.

Bellhop Eugene Scott, who also voted to authorize the strike, echoed Edwards’s emphasis on pay. He described his job as ​“doing everything,” grabbing patrons’ luggage, bringing them to patrons’ rooms, checking people in and out, giving information on where visitors should go in the city, and overall, providing hospitality to people who are new to New Haven.

“What brought us to this point is that we’ve been under the same contract since before the pandemic. We haven’t had a substantial raise to cover the cost of living,” Vallati said. ​“Our committee is frustrated because the other side of the table does not want to move.”

At 7 p.m., the voting concluded. Milanez opened the voting box and counted each vote, one by one. Aside from one empty vote (which Milanez assumed was put in by accident), each was a ​“yes” vote. The team cheered, with Milanez and Vallati embracing each other in celebration, Vallati with tears in her eyes.

“I was born and raised in this city. My kids were born and raised in this city,” Vallati said. ​“I just want better. We all deserve better.”