Standing With Hotel Workers: The Power of Labor Knows No City Lines

Recently, I joined employees represented by the Hotel and Gaming Trades Council, AFL-CIO, on the picket line in Times Square as they continue their fight for a fair contract and a better quality of life for themselves and their families.

While this strike is taking place in New York City, the impact of this fight extends far beyond the streets of Manhattan. Many of the workers who are standing on that picket line are our neighbors, friends, and community members right here in Essex County, New Jersey. They live in our communities, raise their families here, shop at our local businesses, and contribute to the strength of our local economy.

That is why this fight matters to me, not only as someone who believes deeply in the power of organized labor, but also as a candidate for Essex County Commissioner who understands that the well-being of working families is directly connected to the well-being of our communities.

These workers are fighting for fair wages, high-quality family healthcare, and the benefits and protections that help families achieve a better quality of life. They are asking for a fair share of the prosperity that their hard work helps create.

It is deeply troubling to see workers being asked to do more while the owners and corporations benefiting from their labor continue to grow their wealth. This is especially concerning at a time when New York City has welcomed visitors from around the world, including guests who have traveled to experience major events like the FIFA World Cup, yet they refuse to pay employees a living wage..

The workers who clean the rooms, prepare and serve meals, maintain properties, and provide the hospitality that visitors experience are essential to the success of these businesses. They deserve to share in the prosperity their labor helps create. They deserve peace of mind.

As Cesar Chavez reminded us, “The power of the union is the power of the people.” The people united will never be defeated. That power is built on solidarity.

When workers stand together, they have a stronger voice. When communities stand with workers, that voice becomes even stronger. When elected officials and public leaders stand up for working families, we send a clear message that economic opportunity should not come at the expense of workers' dignity.

Strong unions help create pathways to the middle class, protect workers from exploitation, and give employees a meaningful voice in the workplace. Organized labor has played a critical role in fighting for fair wages, safer working conditions, healthcare, retirement security, and the rights that working people deserve. I know this firsthand as someone whose grandmother cleaned the hospital beds of sick patients in Newark’s University Hospital. She put her life and health at risk everyday to care for others. Her union-paying job put my mother through college and created a pathway to the middle class for her. Her work laid the foundation for my deep value for working class people, and now as candidate for us as county commissioner representing district 3 that passion runs even deeper in my purpose and in servitude to others. My commitment to working people is rooted in my belief that everyone should have the opportunity to live with dignity, provide for their families, and build a better future.

Whether we are talking about union workers in New York City who call Essex County home, educators in our schools, public employees, healthcare workers, building trades workers, or the countless working families across our county, we must continue to fight for an economy that works for everyone, not just those at the top.

The fight for economic dignity is a fight for our families, and the power of labor is the power of people standing together. I am proud to stand in solidarity with the Hotel and Gaming Trades Council, AFL-CIO, and all of the workers who are fighting for a fair contract.