The Montgomery County Council voted unanimously Tuesday to require any hotel that gets county dollars to work with hotel workers’ unions.
The move follows consumer boycotts organized in June by UNITE HERE Local 25 — which represents more than 7,500 hotel, restaurant and casino workers in the Washington, D.C., metro region. That effort targeted several hotels, including the Bethesda North Marriott Hotel & Conference Center, which was built in 2004, partly with county funds.
Members of the county’s General Assembly delegation joined that boycott in support of workers’ rights. The Marriott conference center hosts several county political events, including the annual Committee for Montgomery legislative breakfast.
On June 18, the union lifted the boycott amid negotiations with Marriott.
The council’s action will not directly or immediately apply to the North Bethesda facility. According to Council President Kate Stewart, the county recently entered a 10-year contract with the hotel and conference center.