In the final months of 2025, about 700 unionized hospitality workers across four workplaces in Houston won approximately 25% raises in hourly wages — gains that came after an unprecedented 40-day strike at the Hilton Americas-Houston hotel.
“It does reach these historic proportions when you look at the history of labor in Texas,” labor historian Tom Alter said.
UNITE HERE Local 23 union leaders approached the end of 2025 with ambition. Multiple contracts were set to expire, opening the door to wage gains as inflation outstripped income levels across the region.
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“We made it a point in 2025 that this was the year that we were going to change the standards across Houston,” UNITE HERE Local 23 Texas chapter president Franchesca Caraballo said. “Starting with the Hilton, we knew that that was going to be pretty much the first domino, and we knew that that was going to set the stage for the rest of the contracts.”
Nearly 1,000 more unionized workers across two additional workplaces are awaiting new contracts in 2026. They stand to benefit from the wins so far — which could interest more workers in collective organizing.
Timeline
- Sep. 1, Labor Day — About 400 workers with UNITE HERE Local 23 begin a 10-day strike at the Hilton Americas-Houston, demanding a $23 hourly wage, up from a base rate of $16.50.
- Sep. 9 — After union officials say Hilton management counteroffered with a $1 raise to a $17.50 hourly wage, the union extends the strike by 11 days.
- Sep. 11 through Sep. 17 — Officials announce postponements of multiple events, including Houston Mayor John Whitmire’s “State of the City” address, the Harris County Democratic Party’s annual fundraiser gala and City Controller Chris Hollins’ annual investor conference.
- Sep. 19 — With no reported concessions, the union announces another extension, this time by three weeks.
- Oct. 8 — About 100 food and beverage workers at the nearby George R. Brown Convention Center pass a strike authorization vote before heading to the negotiating table. They also demand a $23 hourly wage, up from a base rate of $16.
- Oct. 10 — After 40 days on the picket line, the hotel workers and Hilton announce a new agreement. It raises base hourly pay to $20 followed by $2 in incremental increases over the next three years.
- Nov. 7 — In a nearly identical agreement, convention center workers win a wage hike to $20 followed by $2 in raises over the three-year contract.
- Dec. 5 — About 200 workers across two airline lounges at the George Bush Intercontinental Airport reach an agreement also raising hourly wages by $4, placing the base rate at $20 followed by $2 in raises over the next three years.
Lucio Vasquez / Houston Public Media
“I think we could call it a ripple effect,” said Aimee Chin, economics department chair and labor economist at the University of Houston. “I think the initial lengthened strike was the basis for coming more quickly to an agreement for the later ones. … I think it brought people ready to negotiate and ready to make a deal sooner.”
The wage gains were life-changing for workers who shared stories of stretched paychecks with Houston Public Media.
“Mortgage, insurance, food — everything has gone up over the years,” said Damian Salcedo, a bartender employed by Flik Hospitality Group in the United Club lounge at the airport. “Actually I’m going to have a little bit of money left over with this new wage. … It’s not just that, but I’m actually going to be able to help my family with that, too.”
Negotiations are pending for about 350 unionized workers at the Marriott Marquis hotel in downtown Houston, along with another 600 food workers at Bush Intercontinental Airport. Caraballo with UNITE HERE Local 23 told Houston Public Media negotiations with Marriott and airport food company OTG were set to begin in December.
“With the doors that the Hilton strike opened for setting this new standard, we see the other companies kind of following suit as it pertains to wages,” Caraballo said. “We’re getting the workers ready for that fight as well. So we’ll be having hopefully some good news soon.”
If the wage gains continue next year, more than 1,650 hospitality workers in Houston will have seen raises in the aftermath of the Hilton workers’ strike.
What does it mean for organized labor in Texas?
The strike in Houston flew under the radar compared to national actions — like the 50,000-worker strong strike by the United Auto Workers against Ford, General Motors and Stellantis in 2023, including at facilities in North Texas; or the ongoing strike of more than 4,000 Starbucks workers across more than 150 unionized stores, including in Austin, San Antonio, Dallas, Denton, Farmers Branch and Crossroads.
“It’s an important thing that happened in Houston,” said Alter, the labor historian. “Houston is an important city, but it often nationally doesn’t get the attention that it deserves.”
Kyle McClenagan/Houston Public Media
In some ways, Alter argued, the Hilton strike is especially notable because of who participated — one of the most “oppressed sections of the working class … who’s kind of in a much weaker position” compared to the Starbucks Workers United and UAW members.
While precise demographic data wasn’t readily available, Houston Public Media interviewed multiple Spanish-speaking women represented by UNITE HERE Local 23.
“The ethnicity and gender aspect of it is an important component as well that needs to be acknowledged,” Alter said.
He drew parallels to labor actions by garment workers in 1950s Texas, which included a strike led by Chicana women in San Antonio from 1959-63. The militant strike failed to achieve wage gains, with the plant ultimately closing and relocating, but it bolstered the labor movement in Texas.
The hotel and convention center agreements were also unusual because of the dynamic between employees, employers and owners. While the workers were directly employed by and negotiated with private companies, the facilities were operated by a public entity — Houston First, the city’s local government corporation for conventions and tourism. As Houston Public Media first reported, the structure of the financial arrangements meant that the labor agreements only affected Houston First’s bottom line.
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That dynamic bolstered pressure from public officials to settle the dispute (though Houston First downplayed the importance of outside pressure, emphasizing the role of Hilton as the primary negotiator at the hotel and the Levy food services company at the convention center).
Dominic Anthony Walsh/Houston Public Media
Houston City Council member Joaquin Martinez represents the area where the buildings are located and holds a non-voting seat on the Houston First board.
“The overall intent was to lift up working families — specifically in the conventions and visitors section, specifically in the hotels and then, of course, the airports — so it’s honestly probably one of the biggest wins that I’ve been able to participate in,” Martinez said.
Looking ahead, the labor economist Chin was hesitant to predict continued wage concessions as a result of the Hilton strike — but she said it’s likely to deepen interest in collective action.
“I think people are dissatisfied in the one-to-one negotiations,” she said. “It feels like you are powerless versus the firm, and so I can see why workers have an appetite to try this. In that sense, I’m predicting more interest in being part of unions and what they do, but I am unsure how much they’ll be able to get and negotiate.”
Great Job & the Team @ Houston Public Media for sharing this story.
