We’ve been working closely with local labor unions to make sure we’re supporting local workers during our time in Philadelphia. Here are some ways you can show your support:
TIP WELL
The workers who clean your room each day have a rigorous and often thankless job. You can show your appreciation and support working families in a big way by tipping $3-$5 per day (more if you decline service until the end of your stay). UNITE HERE has printed special envelopes for you to write a note of encouragement and include your tip; you can pick one up at registration.
SHOW SOLIDARITY
With UNITE HERE’s One Job Should Be Enough campaign, Marriott workers are calling on their employer, the largest and most profitable hotel company in the world, to use its leadership in the global hotel industry to create jobs that are enough to live on. Staying at the Marriott? Pick up your One Job Should Be Enough button at registration and wear it throughout the weekend to show solidarity with hotel workers.
USE YOUR VOICE
On Thursday at 11:30 a.m., meet at the North East corner of City Hall (half a block west of the Marriott) to join the solidarity delegation to local Marriott management to demand a neutral process.
SAY NO TO THE GREEN CHOICE PROGRAM
When you check into your hotel, you may be asked if you want to decline housekeeping service until the end of your stay—part of the industry’s “Green Choice” program. Don’t do it. These programs save money for hotel chains but harm workers by reducing their hours and making their job more difficult. Dirt and trash can accumulate when rooms are not serviced for multiple days, and housekeepers are not given extra time to clean these dirtier rooms.
SUPPORT PARKING WORKERS
The parking industry in Philadelphia earned $453 million in revenue last year and employs more than 1,000 workers who earn as little as $7.25 an hour and work two and three jobs to survive. That’s why local parking workers are partnering with 32BJ SEIU in an attempt to improve wages and working conditions in their industry. You can show your support for these workers by demanding on social media that companies like @LAZParking change their practices and stop #ParkingPoverty in Philadelphia.
About The Author
Mary
Communications director of Netroots Nation and Netroots Foundation.