Housekeeping employees at the Renaissance Providence Hotel in downtown Providence voted 25-1 to ratify their first union contract yesterday.
“We are proud of our partnership with the Procaccianti Group to set a higher standard for Rhode Island hospitality employees,” said UNITE HERE Local 26 Rhode Island Vice President Jenna Karlin. “This contract provides benefits that are sometimes out of reach for struggling Rhode Island families. The contract goes far in addressing our concerns.”
The three-year agreement includes guaranteed raises, paid holidays, paid sick time, increased protections for pregnant workers and improved conditions for housekeeping work.
“It was a wonderful feeling to vote on our first union contract,” said housekeeper Raquel Cruz. “Sometimes hotel housekeepers feel we are invisible even though we do hard, important work. We’re so proud of our accomplishments both at work and with our new union agreement.”
Workers at the hotel have been working towards this goal for seven years.
The Renaissance Providence Hotel stills block me on Twitter because of my coverage.
