Unionized concessions workers at Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport ratified a new contract Tuesday, securing a minimum hourly wage increase to $20, according to their labor union.
The contract between UNITE HERE Local 23 members and OTG — an airport employee contractor — was ratified by 99% of workers, according to the union. UNITE HERE Local 23 said workers with more than one year on the job will now earn $20 per hour, which will increase to $21 per hour in October. Workers will also pay less for family healthcare, receive a paid holiday for Juneteenth and “many more benefits protecting workplace rights,” the union said in a Wednesday news release.
UNITE HERE is a hospitality workers union that represents 3,000 workers in Houston and over 28,000 nationwide in states such as Georgia, Mississippi, Indiana, Denver, New Orleans, Oklahoma, New Mexico and Virginia.
Kia Howard, a cashier at the airport, said in a news release from the union that the contract will drastically increase her hourly pay.
“I am excited and proud of what we have accomplished in this contract,” Howard said. “I will go from $14.50 an hour to $20 an hour now. … This is life-changing.”
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Speaking at a Houston City Council meeting Wednesday, Houston Mayor John Whitmire congratulated the workers on their new contract and said it was modeled after the contract that UNITE HERE workers at Hilton Americas-Houston secured last year following a 40-day strike.
“This is a great example of what can be accomplished when workers and employers sit down together in an atmosphere of respect and resolve their issues,” Whitmire said in a separate statement on social media. “The food service and retail workers at IAH are ambassadors of our city.”
OTG did not immediately respond to a request for comment regarding the new contract.
UNITE HERE Local 23, which also represents workers at the Marriott Marquis, said in a statement it has made “good progress” in negotiations with the downtown Houston hotel.
