Williamsburg, VA – Following months of negotiations, workers at Colonial Williamsburg voted unanimously today to ratify their new contract. The contract is a near-complete re-write of the previous one, affecting almost every aspect of the work UNITE HERE Local 25 members preform at Colonial Williamsburg’s hotels and restaurants.
The contract language, which the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation and Union negotiators agreed to on Tuesday afternoon, is a direct result of Union members’ tireless organizing and persistence over the past several months. Over the course of the campaign, Local 25 members had countless conversations with co-workers, organized petitions, delegations, rallies, picket lines, leafletted outside their places of work, and called for a boycott of the properties where they had a labor dispute.
Workers stood up for the rights and respect they deserve, and they won. Following today’s ratification, the Union has lifted its boycott of the properties where it had a labor dispute.
“We have said throughout this campaign that teaching history should not mean re-living it at work,” said John Boardman, Executive-Secretary Treasurer of UNITE HERE Local 25. “Now, our members can take pride in the fact that they have won 21st Century working conditions at Colonial Williamsburg.”
Major changes to the contract include:
Substantial wage increases over the life of the four-year contract. The minimum Non-Tipped Rate will go from $12.50 an hour to $15.50 this month, to $18.50 by 2025 -- a 48.5% wage increase in total
Tipped workers will receive a $500 ratification bonus and non-tipped will receive $1,000 in their next paycheck. This comes in addition to a $1,000 holiday bonus that all Union members at Colonial Williamsburg received in the midst of contract negotiations
Dramatic changes to mandatory overtime policies, including an end to mandatory extra rooms for housekeepers, time-and-a half pay for workers when they do not receive two consecutive days off, and a new system for assigning overtime based on a volunteer rotation
A guaranteed 8-hour day for Non-Tipped workers & 6-hour day for Tipped workers with requirements to pay for a full shift if cancelled with less than 24 hours’ notice
Short and long-term disability protections so that members do not have to choose between paying their bills and taking the time necessary to recover after an illness or injury
Tipped workers will now receive double their hourly rate, capped at the Non-Tipped Minimum, for all sick, vacation & Short and Long-Term Disability calculations
Healthcare benefits will be fully preserved and premiums will not increase one cent over the life of the contract
Pension rights are fully preserved even if the property is sold
New, more effective grievance and arbitration procedures which will protect members' rights under the contract
Boardman continued: “By the end of the negotiations, the overwhelming majority of our members’ demands had prevailed. That is a testament to the power of fighting together for wages that can pay our bills, for the right to have a life outside of work, and for the dignity that every worker deserves.”