Members of Montgomery County’s delegation in the Maryland General Assembly recently announced they are joining a boycott of the Bethesda North Marriott Hotel & Conference Center in support of union workers, according to a letter obtained by Bethesda Today.
UNITE HERE Local 25, the union representing more than 7,500 hotel, restaurant and casino workers in the Washington, D.C., metro region, is encouraging consumer boycotts of several local establishments due to workers rights’ concerns, Axios reported.
While the union is not actively on strike, its members have voiced concern over the lack of a contract at the North Bethesda hotel and conference center on Marinelli Road and issued a press release in May urging local lawmakers to boycott the venue, where many political events are held. The conference center, which was built in 2004, was developed using money from the county government, but is run by Marriott.
“We are disappointed that this facility, owned by Montgomery County, does not have a union contract for its workers and therefore a guarantee for those workers of respect on the job, fair wages and affordable health benefits,” the union said in a May 22 press release.
The letter from the delegation was sent Thursday to hotel General Manager David Child.
“Out of respect for the workers and in solidarity with their right to unionize, we are publicly committing to honor the boycott and will refrain from attending events at the Montgomery County Conference Center until the boycott is lifted and a fair process is agreed upon,” the letter says.
Child did not immediately respond Friday afternoon to a request for comment from Bethesda Today on Friday afternoon.
“We believe every worker deserves a fair process to decide on unionization, free from intimidation and coercion,” the letter says. “It is our hope that Marriott will engage in good faith and commit to a fair and transparent process that upholds workers’ rights and dignity.”
The letter was signed by Sens. Cheryl Kagan (Dist. 17), Ben Kramer (Dist. 19), Will Smith (D-Dist. 20), and Jeff Waldstreicher (D-Dist. 18), and Dels. Gabe Acevero (D-Dist. 39), Lorig Charkoudian (D-Dist. 20), Charlotte Crutchfield (D-Dist. 19), Bonnie Cullison (D-Dist. 19), David Fraser-Hidalgo (D-Dist. 15), Linda Foley (D-Dist. 15), Aaron Kaufman (D-Dist. 18), Marc Korman (D-Dist. 16), Bernice Mireku-North (D-Dist. 14), David Moon (D-Dist. 20), Julie Palakovich Carr (D-Dist. 17), Emily Shetty (D-Dist. 18), Jared Solomon (D-Dist. 18), Vaughn Stewart (D-Dist. 19), Ryan Spiegel (D-Dist. 17), Joe Vogel (D-Dist. 17), Greg Wims (D-Dist. 39), Sarah Wolek (D-Dist. 16), Teresa Woorman (D-Dist. 16) and Del. Jheanelle Wilkins (D-Dist. 20).
“I am proud to see so many of my colleagues commit to respecting this boycott, and pledge to not cross the picket line,” Vogel told Bethesda Today in a text Thursday. “Every worker deserves a fair process to decide on unionization.”
The hotel and conference center is the host to many popular political events in the county, including the annual Committee for Montgomery legislative breakfast, which is typically held in November or December and has featured prominent speakers such as Gov. Wes Moore (D) and Maryland Comptroller Brooke Lierman (D).
The Montgomery County Chamber Commerce (MCCC) is set to host its annual dinner and awards presentation at the venue on June 18. The organization’s 2025 Legislative Reception is also scheduled to be held at the conference center on Sept. 17. A spokesperson for MCCC did not immediately respond to Bethesda Today’s request for comment Friday afternoon.
In April, MCCC held its annual Public Safety Awards at the conference center, and has also held its annual Business Awards Dinner at the venue in the past.
“We will also be notifying organizers of events scheduled at the Conference Center of our collective commitment to respect the boycott, and will strongly encourage them to reconsider their event locations until Marriott reaches a fair agreement and the boycott is resolved,” the delegation letter says.
