Tonight I had the honor and privilege of participating in a Workers’ Rights Board Hearing at the Vancouver Community Library. Along with local university professors, the deputy mayor of Sea-Tac, a fellow UCC clergy colleague, and a local civic leader from Portland, I sat on a panel as we listened to the stories of workers from the Vancouver Hilton before a packed auditorium. The city of Vancouver owns the hotel through the Downtown Redevelopment Authority (DRA), and I now feel certain that when the citizens of Vancouver hear the stories of these workers, they will insist that the best interest of the city does not include having workers in poverty who are dependent on public services and charitable donations to survive.
At present, a number of the positions at the hotel are paid a minimum wage with the option of largely unaffordable health insurance plans. The testimonies I heard were powerful, and I want others to hear them. As time permits, I hope to post excerpts from the testimonies of the workers. Here are some excerpts from the testimony of a room attendant named Tia Sells:
“The team at the Hilton knows that we are important to the success of this hotel. Management is always stressing how important we are, how much they appreciate us, how much they value us, but honestly actions speak louder than words, and their actions right now are telling us that we are not important, that they do not value us, that we are not appreciated. For example, the Hilton has money to upgrade and remodel the fitness center, replace all of the televisions in the hotel, and paint the service hallway floors. Yet the Hilton does not have the money to bring us to the same standard of living as when the last contract was signed in 2008. According to the American Institute for Economic Research, the cost of living has increased 5.26% since that contract was signed. That means that to put the room attendants back on the same standard of living it is going to take 47 cents [an hour], not the 27 cents an hour that the Hilton insists is good enough for its workers. And that is just to reinstate our previous standard of living. That’s not increasing it.”
“I spoke to a co-worker the other day who had to choose between purchasing needed medicines or her food. In December, as a morale booster, the Hilton organized a ‘friendly’ competition between departments to see who could bring in the most food for a food drive. Honestly, how friendly can a food drive be when my room attendant partners were seeking food baskets for themselves to feed their families?”
Another Hilton worker named Wanda Buck also testified:
“I have watched my fellow workers lose their homes, lights, and not have enough food. My question to the DRA is can you live on Washington’s new minimum wage of $9.04 an hour and pay for medication, health insurance, rent, food, lights, water, garbage, and buy shoes for your feet? Is this how it is done in America? Managers on the second floor get to enjoy these privileges while the workers on the first floor of the hotel just work to improve the hotel’s reputation. We are the ones who actually wash the dishes, cook and serve the food, and make the beds. We are expected to do this with a smile and in eight hours while we are understaffed.”