Hundreds of statewide labor activists joined with community leaders and local residents to call on Hollander-Marriott and all Greater Tacoma low-paying welfare-taking companies to fuel an economic recovery with good jobs. Washington State JwJ is a leading force calling for responsible development which led to this event as the largest local worker rights action in recent memory. Radio and corporate print media more than noticed.

Hollander-Marriott purchased their downtown site at a "deep discount" from taxpayers, snatched waterfront-mountains views from the taxpayer’s Convention Center, and "brutalized" the architecture of Tacoma taxpayer-financed "renaissance," according to the Seattle PI. The City Council agreed to this in the name of jobs as Hollander-Marriott made promises to the Mayor, Council, and residents and their unions.

But Hollander-Marriott "went back on their word" to living wages, local hiring, and a labor harmony agreement, according to former Mayor Baarsma. Hollander built the downtown Marriott using Canadian workers earning poverty-wages. The hotel continues to operate without providing affordable family healthcare and living wages to Tacoma workers.

Meanwhile, residents face poverty-level unemployment and climbing crime rates in the neighboring Tacoma communities that expected job opportunities at the Downtown Marriott. Recently, the City Council also gave more tax-payer subsidies to Hollander-Marriott for yet another downtown project without holding it accountable for unfulfilled promises or a good jobs standard at this new Thea Foss site.

More Background

Our goals are to support UNITE HERE Local 8’s long-term campaign to support Tacoma ’s hotel workers organizing for living wages, affordable family healthcare, and a voice at work. We see the labor movement’s call for economic recovery with good job creation linked to the kinds of corporate projects that local governments stimulate with our tax-dollars. Jobs with Justice recently voted to continue its long-term priority to link government subsidized corporate development to fair job standards and workforce housing.

This event will send a message to the hotel industry, all low-wage paying bosses, and Tacoma City Council that we are holding them to higher job standards. We expect them to take leadership and join with us in making corporate welfare transparent and accountable. So far, Hollander-Marriott, other industry leaders, and Council-members have been resistant to civil negotiations.

We want an economic recovery that benefits everyone. Unless downtown growth is tied to good jobs, why should the community carry the taxed burden for corporate profits? Murano hotel workers won living wages and affordable family healthcare despite an encroaching anti-worker hotel industry because they united and got community support. All hotels including the Downtown Marriot-Hollander should match the job standards set at the Murano. Marriott-Hollander is the leading non-union local hotel corporation and they can do the right thing. Since the City Council has invested our tax-dollars in the Downtown Marriot-Hollander and other downtown corporations, it can take leadership in setting higher job standards.