Unionized employees at Embassy Suites by Hilton Seattle Downtown Pioneer Square are on strike over faltering contract negotiations during the FIFA Men's World Cup.

The strike by Unite Here! Local 8 workers, the union that represents around 7,000 workers in Washington and Oregon's hospitality industries, began at 6:30 a.m. Thursday, per a news release Wednesday.

Only unionized workers at Embassy Suites by Hilton Seattle Downtown Pioneer Square are on strike Thursday.

Picketing will last until 9 p.m. The strike is indefinite, union spokesperson Jake Douglas said.

A picket line is planned to form outside the hotel, which is only a five-minute walk to Lumen Field, currently known as Seattle Stadium.

The strike comes as Seattle buzzes with visitors and soccer fans during its moment on the global map as a host city of World Cup games. The highly anticipated U.S. vs. Australia match is scheduled for Friday at Seattle Stadium.

It was not immediately clear how the strike will affect services at the hotel. There are 117 union members, Douglas said Thursday.

Hilton, which owns Embassy Suites, didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.

Spokesperson Lisa Cole told The Seattle Times this month that the major hotel brand remains committed to negotiating in good faith to reach a fair and reasonable agreement that benefits both our valued Team Members and our hotel."

The hotel's union members are pushing their employer for a new contract with raises, year-round healthcare coverage, a return to higher staffing levels from the prepandemic era and protections from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

"I am striking because I don’t get enough hours, and I don’t make enough money," Teresa Joseph, an Embassy Suites restaurant worker and Local 8 union leader, said in a statement Wednesday. "I don’t have a full eight hours — only six. This isn’t livable within Seattle."

The last union contract expired at the end of May. Members overwhelmingly voted in favor of authorizing a strike on June 5.

On Thursday morning, Pioneer Square’s streets were largely quiet. Commuters waited at bus stops, and a Downtown Seattle Association ambassador was at the ready to tidy up sidewalks.

But the raised voices of picketing union workers could be heard from King Street Station. Approximately 40 protestors flanked several sides of the hotel’s entrances, holding signs that read: “On strike, one job should be enough.” A musician with a full drum set on the sidewalk played in time with the chants.

“No contract, no sleep,” two protestors yelled into megaphones around 7:30 a.m.

They caught the attention of commuters holding coffee and smoking morning cigarettes as they crossed the Weller Street Bridge and passed the picket line. One cheered.

Hayden Eyerly, a front desk agent of two years, told The Seattle Times outside the hotel that he’s on strike to improve his and his coworkers’ futures.

“We would actually be able to save up and have an actual nest egg, potentially,” he said. “One day, own a home.”

Does Eyerly think the picket line will disrupt operations at the hotel? “Oh, 100%,” he responded.

The hotel is currently hiring for several positions. One listing includes an on-call banquet server and bartender, for an hourly rate of $21.30, to support operations during the World Cup, per the job description online.

"The union is asking the public not to sleep, eat, or meet at Embassy Suites Pioneer Square until the strike is over, according to the news release.

The union represents housekeepers, bussers, cooks, dishwashers and more.

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