Houston Tourism Is Booming. Hospitality Workers Want a Higher Minimum Wage.

The Houston chapter of Unite Here Local 23, a union group that represents food and hospitality workers for the George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH), William Hobby P. Airport, Marriott Marquis and Hilton Americas-Houston hotels, and the Georgia R. Brown Convention, announced its newest campaign in a summit in April, which discussed the need for a livable wage. Houston City councilmembers Joaquin Martinez and Tiffany Thomas attended in support, where Martinez referred to the city’s workers as the “backbone of the tourism.”

“If we want Houston to remain a top destination for visitors and events, we need to make sure workers are making enough to thrive,” Martinez said in a statement to Eater.

Franchesca Caraballo, president of Unite Here Local 23’s Texas chapter, says the union decided to demand a $23 minimum wage based partly on Harris County’s minimum wage ordinance, which requires all county workers to be paid at least $21.65 an hour starting this July (the current $20 minimum wage went into effect in early May 2025).

The initiative comes as workers report an increased cost of living and workloads that have steadily grown since the pandemic. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Consumer Price Index, food and beverage prices in the city have increased by around 31 percent since 2020, housing by 20 percent, and transportation costs by roughly 30 percent. Caraballo says many workers have reported making less than $16.50 an hour, living paycheck to paycheck, while others say they are often doing the work of two to three people at their jobs.

Meanwhile, tourism in Houston is booming. Houston First, the city’s tourism arm, reported that 54 million people visited the city last year, resulting in a 16 percent increase in hotel revenue and an 8 percent increase in occupancy. Airports also experienced a spike in travelers, with Bush and Hobby seeing about a 5 percent increase. Revenue increased for Bush by 18 percent and for Hobby by roughly 38 percent. The union says the hospitality workers have not seen the benefits. Instead, Caraballo says many still struggle to pay their bills and feed their families.

“Houston is propped up as an affordable city. A lot of people are moving here, but look at the workers’ wages. They’re struggling right now, and $15 to $16 an hour is absolutely not enough. Workers are being left behind,” Caraballo tells Eater. “A lot of our members take up second or third jobs, and have to decide which bills to pay or not pay. Now, workers are saying, ‘Enough is enough.’”

In recent history, there have been some increases to Houston’s minimum wage. Under former mayor Sylvester Turner’s executive order, the City of Houston raised the minimum wage for Houston airport employers with covered contracts, subcontracts, and concession agreements to $13 an hour in April 2022, $14 an hour in October 2022, and to $15 an hour in October 2023. Still, workers are reporting that it’s not enough to match the high cost of living, inflation, and increasing workloads.

Allyssa Pollard

Allyssa Pollard

Unite Here Local 23

As part of an exercise, Unite Here Local 23 had hospitality workers write what they would do if the minimum wage were increased to $23. Many said they would pay their bills.

At Unite Here’s local chapter summit in April, elected officials listened to speakers who explained the union’s mission to increase worker wages, make health care more affordable, and fight for job security and fair schedules. During a recent meeting, members also decorated a board with $23 bills outlining what they would do if they made a living wage of $23 or more. Answers ran the gamut: “Pay back my debt,” “pay my loans,” “take my family on vacation,” and “quit my second job,” some read.

“It was full of people’s dreams and goals,” Caraballo says. Some have criticized the initiative, claiming the union is aiming too high with a $23 minimum wage, she says. The union president says she points to the multi-million-dollar global companies that have hired these workers. “$23 is a good start for our members to live comfortably and provide for their families,” Caraballo says.

“People like their jobs,” Caraballo says. “They like working in hospitality, but they feel like it’s time to get their fair share.”