Fired union workers asking Met Gala guests to stand with them
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MAY 06: Shakira attends The 2024 Met Gala Celebrating "Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion" at The Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 06, 2024 in New York City. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogu
NEW YORK CITY - Met Gala attendees staying at The Surrey Hotel will be confronted with a protest on their way to the red carpet today.
Labor dispute
What we know:
The Hotel Trade Council (HTC) union announced members will hold a protest outside The Surrey on East 76th Street later today, The New York Post reports.
The Surrey, which closed in 2020 and went into bankruptcy, reopened in October under the Corinthia Hotels brand. The hotel's new management chose not to rehire nearly 100 workers who lost their jobs during the closure.
The union filed a lawsuit in March against the new owners, the Reuben brothers, citing a new law passed in NYC during the pandemic; Local Law 99, or the Displaced Hotel Service Workers Act, protects hotel workers "in the event of a change in control of a hotel."
The case is currently pending.
Celebs at The Surrey
Some of the celebrities staying at The Surrey include Cardi B, Alicia Keys, Cristiano Ronaldo, Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts, Angela Bassett, Tommy Hilfiger. There are also executives from the Burberry, Valentino and Stella McCartney brands, according to the HTC, who contacted representatives from each high-profile person staying at the hotel for the event.
"We’re calling on the celebrities staying at The Surrey to show support for the workers and join us in demanding that they be rehired," said Rich Maroko, president of the HTC.
Workers displaced
One former Surrey worker, Mery Coronado, spoke to The New York Post about the impact losing her job at the hotel had on her.
"This job fed my two daughters, paid for us to live in a good apartment, and enabled me to buy a car," Coronado said. "I am a single mom, so my job at The Surrey means everything to me."
The Source: This article includes reporting from The New York Post.