NYC

EXCLUSIVE: Many of the major talent agencies across New York and Los Angeles, including the likes of CAA, WME and UTA, were hit with a letter Tuesday asking agents and their clients to boycott the Surrey Hotel in New York City, at least for now.

The Hotel and Gaming Trades Council, the union that represents about 40,000 hotel and gaming workers across New York and New Jersey, sent the letter over an ongoing labor dispute with the Surrey’s management.

In it, the HTC asks agents and their clients not only to refrain from booking a stay at the Surrey for the time being but also “consider how your voice, values, and visibility might support workers at this moment.”

Read the letter in full below.

The ongoing dispute began in 2020 when, after the Surrey was forced into bankruptcy, the hotel closed for several years as it changed ownership and underwent renovations before reopening in 2024 under the management of Corinthia Hotels. HTC President Rich Maroko tells Deadline that, in the process, about 100 union hotel workers lost their jobs and were not offered the chance to return upon the hotel’s reopening.

“We tried to get them the list of [former] workers on several occasions, and they just ignored us,” Maroko says. “They chose not to interview any of them and not to hire any of them, and instead hired an entirely new workforce, with few exceptions.”

Maroko also says that the current staff is being paid “significantly less than what they would get if they were unionized, upwards of $10 an hour less, with no benefits or job protections or any of the rest of it.”

In addition to healthcare and pensions, the HTC contracts “provide a middle class living for our members,” Maroko says. While pay ranges depending on exact position, collective bargaining agreements across New York City hotels have secured upward of $40/hour for some positions, including room attendants.

Maroko posits that not only are Corinthia’s current actions unfair, it’s also against the local law. In 2020, New York City passed the Displaced Hotel Service Workers Act, which requires new hotel owners to offer employment to the seller’s hotel workers for at least 90 days after the sale or transfer of ownership.

Deadline understands the HTC has also filed a grievance with the National Labor Relations Board against the management of the swanky hotel. The workers, many of whom are seeking to retain their jobs, have filed a lawsuit against the Surrey as well. 

The plea to the agencies is a calculated one, given the hotel’s reputation as a hot spot for A-listers and other media figures, as well as a popular event space. The Surrey has long been known to service celebrities and other high-profile clientele, with nightly room rates starting around $1,000.

“We know that significant portion of their clientele are in the entertainment and media industries, and a lot of them end up going to the hotel without having any idea about who these owners are, who the management company is, or the dispute, and we think that if they did, they would not be” staying at the hotel, Maroko says. “We’re actually quite hopeful that they would be supportive of the one hundred or so workers that find themselves on the street because of the hotel’s actions.”

Deadline has reached out to Corinthia Hotels for comment on the matter. This post will be updated if/when management responds.

The HTC has also planned several in-person actions so far, including a rally outside of the hotel with several hundred union members as well as some local politicians like mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani. They also held a rally around the Met Gala as well as other events where hotel management is expected.

There are more in-person actions to come, Maroko assures.

“If you were to hear in detail the stories of some of these workers that are out on the street now, it would really break your heart. In some cases, gave 30 years of their lives to this hotel,” Maroko said. “It’s really heartbreaking that these folks that have spent decades and decades working for the hotel and serving the guests there have been treated so, so callously.”

Here is the letter sent to the agencies in full:

I’m reaching out on behalf of the Hotel and Gaming Trades Council (HTC), the union for hotel and gaming workers in New York and New Jersey. As the respected representatives of some of entertainment’s biggest names, I wanted to make you aware of an issue of gross injustice occurring at the Surrey Hotel in New York City.

We understand many of your clients have either stayed or participated in events at the Surrey, and we come to you on behalf of nearly 100 former employees of the hotel who are fighting to get their jobs back.

While the Surrey Hotel has a tremendous reputation throughout New York City, behind its façade of class and elegance exists a troubling picture of exploitation.

Prior to its closure in 2020, the Surrey operated as a union hotel for decades, with nearly 100 union- represented employees—many of them women, immigrants, and people of color.

When the hotel reopened under new ownership and management in late 2024, nearly all the original workers were not offered their jobs back, despite their years of service and the existence of a New York City law—the Displaced Hotel Service Workers Act—which requires hotels to retain existing staff following a change in control.

Nearly all of the former Surrey workers were denied the opportunity to return to their jobs.

Wages have been slashed. In some departments, such as in-room dining, wages have been cut nearly in half. Housekeepers at the property are getting paid over $10 an hour less than their union-represented counterparts in New York City.

The hotel brought in a subcontracting agency, MevRam, to run housekeeping. Subcontracting agencies are known for pressuring workers to cut corners, unsanitary conditions, wage theft, and other health and safety issues.

The former Surrey workers have banded together and filed a lawsuit in response. The workers seek to return to their jobs at the Surrey, and we ask that your clients join us in supporting them in their struggle.

We see this as a moment of education and coalition building with the clientele that allow The Surrey Hotel to thrive. We have three simple asks:

1. As you plan New York City travel for your clients, we ask that you do not stay at the Surrey Hotel and look into the many union hotels in New York. For your convenience, a list can be found here.

2. We also understand that the individuals or brands that your firm represents may already be staying at or affiliated with the Surrey Hotel, and we hope you will consider how your voice, values, and visibility might support workers at this moment.

3. Finally, if you have a client who would be interested in expressing support for the fair treatment and the right for these workers to return to the Surrey, we would be happy to speak with you about the issue and send you more information.

We will continue to show our support publicly for these workers through protests, social media campaigns and more, for however long it takes. If you show your support, we will be there to cheer you on and show our appreciation.

These workers are not asking for special treatment—they are asking for what the law provides and what basic decency demands. We believe in the power of coalition building, and we hope to work in partnership with you until the former Surrey workers have the opportunity to return to their jobs.

To learn more, please visit http://www.shameonthesurrey.com.

Thank you for taking the time to consider this. Please don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions.

In Solidarity,
Rich Maroko
President of the Hotel and Gaming Trades Council, AFL-CIO