WILLIAMSBURG, Va. - After months of negotiations, workers at Colonial Williamsburg voted unanimously Thursday to ratify their new contract.
The workers are represented by a hospitality worker union, UNITE HERE Local 25. Workers called for better pay, more affordable healthcare, an end to mandatory overtime and to be able to spend more time with their families and loved ones.
According to a release from the union, the new contract is a near-complete rewrite of the original contract. Among other changes, the minimum non-tipped rate will raise to $15.50 this month, eventually rising to $18.50 by 2025.
The union also said "dramatic changes" are being made to mandatory overtime policies, including an end to mandatory extra rooms for housekeepers, time-and-a-half pay for workers when they do not receive two consecutive days off and a new system for assigning overtime.
“We have said throughout this campaign that teaching history should not mean re-living it at work,” said John Boardman, Executive-Secretary Treasurer of UNITE HERE Local 25. “Now, our members can take pride in the fact that they have won 21st-century working conditions at Colonial Williamsburg.”
News 3 reached out to Colonial Williamsburg for a statement and has not heard back at this time.
