(SEATTLE, WASHINGTON) - You’d be forgiven for worrying, 12 weeks into a Strike, that the boss is hell-bent on waiting you out - but after more than 80 days on the picket line at Seattle’s Embassy Suites by Hilton in Pioneer Square, Aspen Desmarais was undeterred.

“I can live on a budget,” she said. “Been doing it since day one.”

After 85 days, on September 10th (2026), Workers won the longest Hotel Strike in Washington State History.

Their union, UNITE HERE Local 8, represents 4,000 Hospitality Workers in Oregon and Washington.

Desmarais, a Strike Captain and Bartender at the Hotel, worked to keep others motivated throughout the fight.

She and her Co-Workers were “tired of people talking down to us and not treating us with respect,” she said, “when we’re the reason that place stays running the way that it does.”

Hilton’s offer, two weeks into the Strike, of one cent per hour over its previous proposal helped fuel outrage.

The Union held open bargaining so Members could hear the offer - firsthand.

“I (felt) frustrated and disrespected,” Desmarais said. “Especially with how much hard work my Co-Workers put into making sure the Hotel and its guests have clean spaces and stays that are welcoming.”

Fritzie Corral, an Embassy Suites Breakfast Attendant, had only worked at the Hotel for two months before walking out.

As the Strike went on, she said, her son worried that she had made a mistake in taking the job.

“You see other Employees that decided to stay in the Hotel working," she said. “Even during that time, I still believed I made the right choice. It’s my right to voice out what I feel and to fight for my rights.”

Workers won significant pay increases, lowered barriers for health care eligibility and highly sought-after protections for Immigrant Workers.

Hilton, which manages the Hotel, drew protests earlier this year for housing ICE Agents and for cutting ties with a Minneapolis Hotel that canceled ICE bookings during Operation Metro Surge.

To Continue Reading This Labor News Story, Go To: Lessons from an 85-Day Hotel Strike | Labor Notes

UNITE HERE Local 8 File Photo Via Facebook.