Ritz-Carlton Workers Get Contract

At $500 a night and up, guests at the posh Ritz-Carlton on 22nd Street expect everything in the hotel to work and the union engineers - members of IUOE Local 99 - who work there are happy to oblige, especially since they finalized their first contract there last week. Not only does the contract improve wages and benefits for workers at the Ritz-Carlton, but it's the first union contract in the country negotiated by any IUOE local at a Ritz-Carlton hotel in nine years. "We are overjoyed that we have reached a settlement with the company," said Local 99 Business Manager Michael R. Murphy. "We welcome our new members and look forward to giving them world-class representation."