{"id":24003,"date":"2026-09-12T10:35:51","date_gmt":"2026-09-12T04:35:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/deshnews24.net\/?p=24003"},"modified":"2026-09-12T10:35:51","modified_gmt":"2026-09-12T04:35:51","slug":"rich-marokos-leadership-through-the-eyes-of-an-htc-member-achievements-must-not-be-overlooked","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/deshnews24.net\/?p=24003","title":{"rendered":"Rich Maroko\u2019s Leadership Through the Eyes of an HTC Member: Achievements Must Not Be Overlooked"},"content":{"rendered":"<div><\/div>\n<div>Opinion | Reporter: Md. Nasir, New Jersey (USA)<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>For hotel workers in New York, the union is not merely an organization; it represents our dignity, security, fair wages, and the future of our families. As a member of the Hotel Trades Council (HTC), I know from personal experience how profoundly a strong union can transform a worker&#8217;s life.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>Under the leadership of HTC President Rich Maroko, we have witnessed significant progress regarding wage increases, healthcare benefits, and the protection of workers&#8217; rights in the workplace. The new eight-year contract, in particular, stands as a crucial achievement for our members&#8217; future. Such long-term agreements establish a solid foundation of stability and security for workers and their families.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>To me, the value of healthcare benefits goes beyond what is written on paper. Those working outside the union may not always fully grasp how vital healthcare security is when a worker or their family member falls ill. Similarly, fair wages do more than just help a worker pay bills; they enable them to support their family with dignity.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>Recently, various allegations and criticisms regarding the HTC leadership have surfaced. While serious allegations certainly warrant proper, transparent, and independent scrutiny, an allegation is not a proven fact. Before reaching a final conclusion about any individual or organization, it is essential to consider the perspectives of all parties involved, the findings of investigations, and the evidence.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>I believe a union leader should not be judged solely through the lens of controversy; one must also look at what ordinary workers have achieved under their leadership.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>The new eight-year contract, wage hikes, healthcare provisions, and the protection of workers&#8217; rights achieved under Rich Maroko\u2019s leadership have had a tangible impact on our members&#8217; lives. As an HTC member, I acknowledge and value these achievements.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>Everyone has the right to criticize union leadership. By the same token, as a member, I have the right to highlight my union&#8217;s achievements and the positive aspects of its leadership. In a democratic organization, questions and differences of opinion are inevitable\u2014but discussions should be grounded in truth, evidence, and fairness, without disregarding the hard-won achievements of workers over the years.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>I believe that a worker&#8217;s strength lies not in a solitary voice, but in the collective voice of united workers. It is the responsibility of us all to protect the wages, healthcare, and workplace rights that HTC has secured for us, and to strengthen them for future generations.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>As an HTC member, my position is clear: workers&#8217; achievements must be respected, the validity of grievances must be verified impartially, and at the same time, the future of the union must be strengthened.<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Opinion | Reporter: Md. Nasir, New Jersey (USA) For hotel workers in New York, the union is not merely an organization; it represents our dignity, security, fair wages, and the future of our families. As a member of the Hotel Trades Council (HTC), I know from personal experience how profoundly a strong union can transform [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":24004,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-24003","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-12"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/deshnews24.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24003","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/deshnews24.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/deshnews24.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/deshnews24.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/deshnews24.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=24003"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/deshnews24.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24003\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":24005,"href":"https:\/\/deshnews24.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24003\/revisions\/24005"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/deshnews24.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/24004"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/deshnews24.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=24003"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/deshnews24.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=24003"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/deshnews24.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=24003"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}