New report shows workers have skipped meals, medical services and can’t cover rent
MADISON, WI – Today, workers at the Hilton Madison Monona Terrace demonstrated outside of the hotel and spoke out about their struggle to afford basic necessities including food, housing, and healthcare.
According to a report released by UNITE HERE Local 1, 33% of surveyed Hilton Madison Monona Terrace workers said that they or someone in their household has skipped medical services because they can’t afford it. 33% reported that they don’t have health insurance or are on Medicaid/Badgercare.
“I can’t afford the company’s medical insurance because it’s too expensive. I know that I need regular mammogram screenings, but I haven’t gotten an appointment because I’m so scared of the bill that will come,” said Gina Boscia, a housekeeper at the Hilton Madison Monona Terrace and single mother of five.
Hilton Madison Monona Terrace workers also struggle to afford other basic necessities:
- 20% of workers surveyed reported that they or someone in their household have skipped a meal because there wasn’t enough money for food.
- 35% of workers surveyed said that they can’t afford healthy food for their families.
- 37% of workers surveyed reported that they lacked money to cover their rent or mortgage in the last six months.
“I came from the Philippines to work in the United States to give me and my two kids more stability. However, I cannot survive on the income from just one job, so I work two. I have begun to think about retirement, but with the wages I make right now, I would not be able to save enough money to retire comfortably,” said Zenaida May who has worked for 12 years as a bartender at the Hilton Madison Monona Terrace.
The National Low Income Housing Coalition calculates that the hourly wage necessary to afford a one-bedroom apartment in Madison at fair market rate is $24.65, yet workers at the Hilton Madison Monona Terrace earn a median wage of $18.00 per hour.
“No worker in Madison should have to choose between buying groceries and paying rent. We will stand with workers of the Hilton Madison Monona Terrace for as long as it takes for them to win the good union contract they deserve,” said Kevin Gundlach, President of the South Central Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO.
In August 2025, workers at the Hilton Madison Monona Terrace voted to join UNITE HERE Local 1, the hospitality workers union. Room attendants, servers, bartenders, cooks, front desk agents and other workers at the Hilton Madison Monona Terrace are fighting for their first union contract with better wages and quality, affordable health insurance.
The Hilton Madison Monona Terrace is owned and operated by a division of Milwaukee-based Marcus Corporation, a publicly traded hotel and movie theater operator with over $1 billion in assets. In 2001, the hotel opened with the help of a $10.8 million tax increment financing loan from the City of Madison.
The report is available at www.unitehere1.org/hiltonmadisonreport
