More and more hotels are going up in Nashville – in the area of downtown alone, 4000 new hotel rooms will be built in the coming years. And the city government has given away millions of dollars to new hotels (a program known as TIF).
Many of these hotels charge more than $200 a night to stay there. But they pay nowhere near a living wage to the workers: those who clean the hotel rooms, haul and wash bedding and towels, and everyone else whose work makes it possible for the hotel to make a profit.
Hotel workers know what we really deserve: $15 an hour, paid sick days and maternity leave, health insurance, and much more. This is our Cleaning Workers’ Bill of Rights.
Workers' Dignity, based in Nashville, is an organization of low-wage workers organizing for economic justice and dignity for all. Through nonviolent actions, more than 150 workers have recovered more than $350,000 in stolen wages since April 2010, and since 2013, more than 120 housekeepers have organized and won raises of more than $750,000.
Put your name on our Bill of Rights so that hotel owners know that Nashville is demanding dignity for all workers!
Cleaning workers play a fundamental role in the explosion of economic growth in Nashville, especially in the tourism and convention sectors. The large majority of housekeepers and janitors in this city are women of color. Many of us are single mothers and the principal breadwinners of our families. Historically, we as cleaning workers have earned wages well below the poverty level. In spite of the essential role we play by the sweat of our labor, we continue to be denied our fundamental human rights and labor rights.
We have joined Workers’ Dignity and have launched the Just Hospitality Campaign to protect our basic rights and end to unjust treatment once and for all. As housekeepers and other cleaning workers, we deserve basic rights from our employers:
These are our demands. This is what we deserve. These should be a right, not a luxury:
Wages and Benefits
● Living wage. Starting wage of least $15 per hour
● Overtime pay for all work over 40 hours/week
● 2 weeks paid sick days
● 45 days maternity leave
● Health care benefits
● End to the theft of housekeepers’ tips
● Opportunities for advancement in the company
Health and Safety
● Ongoing training on health and safety
● Access to appropriate Personal Protective Equipment at no charge
● At least one 15minute break and one 30minute lunch for all workdays over 6 hours
● Workers Compensation for onthejob injuries and illnesses
Dignity in the Workplace
● Workplace free of sexual harassment
● Workplace free of discrimination of any kind
● No favoritism & clearly established tasks
● Seniority Rights
● 21 day notice before any major schedule changes
● Independent monitoring, including annual audits with active worker involvement to ensure that the employer is complying with our Bill of Rights.
There is no Southern Hospitality without Just Hospitality!
