Seattle hotel workers authorize strike ahead of the FIFA World Cup

Seattle's unionized hotel workers in Pioneer Square green-lit a strike before the FIFA World Cup kicks off at Lumen Field.

Employees at Embassy Suites by Hilton Seattle Downtown Pioneer Square overwhelmingly voted Friday to authorize a strike over faltering union contract negotiations, with 94% of union members voting in favor.

The vote means Unite Here! Local 8, the union representing around 7,000 hospitality workers in Washington and Oregon, can call a strike at any point in the future. If that happens, unionized employees at that Embassy Suites location would be part of the strike.

The first World Cup match in Seattle takes place on June 15, and Embassy Suites is a five-minute walk to Lumen Field. The hotel stands to reap a profit from the tournament, with the lowest rate for a two-night stay in a room during the U.S. vs. Australia game currently coming to around $2,430.

The World Cup is a huge, huge thing," Jus Adsuara, public areas attendant at Embassy Suites, said in a phone interview Friday. "It's really unfair that those of us who are making this happen for, like, the owners of hotels, for the owners of the stadiums, have to struggle."

Hilton, which owns Embassy Suites, remains "committed to negotiating in good faith to reach a fair and reasonable agreement that benefits both our valued Team Members and our hotel," said spokesperson Lisa Cole Friday.

Cole emphasized that there is no labor disruption taking place at the hotel right now, and "we have contingency plans in place to ensure operations continue to run as smoothly as possible."

The last union contract expired at the end of May. In the new contract, Hilton employees are pressing the company for "year-round healthcare coverage, protections from ICE, fair raises, and a return to pre-pandemic staffing levels," per a news release published by Unite Here! Local 8 on Tuesday.

Embassy Suites has proposed raises that average to "less than $1 (per hour) a year for five years," according to the union. Employees argue that's not enough.

"The market right now is bad for the whole country," said Stiliano Hibroj, an Embassy Suites banquet houseman. "Housing, bills, groceries - everything costs more. The raises the hotel is offering are ridiculous."

Workers say the employer dismissed their request to be notified when U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and U.S. Department of Homeland Security agents are on site.

For Adsuara, who has worked at Embassy Suites for eight years, acceptance of the union's contract proposals would give themthe time and energy to pursue hobbies and engage more meaningfully with their spouse after shifts.

For now, with their current workload, they feel exhausted.

On top of that, "I would love to save for an actual future," Adsuara said, "to actually have homeownership, for example, as a possibility to even entertain.

Seattle Times reporter Lauren Girgis contributed to this story.

Copyright 2026 Tribune Content Agency. All Rights Reserved.

This story was originally published June 5, 2026 at 11:32 PM.