Sofitel DC Lafayette Square Workers Successfully Decertify Union in Two Separate Elections

Two separate groups of employees at the Sofitel Washington DC Lafayette Square have voted to remove their unions, with the National Labor Relations Board certifying both decertification elections within consecutive days this month.

The NLRB certified Yuri Lishchenko's election on March 10, removing the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 99 from representing the hotel's engineers and painters. One day later, on March 11, the board certified Mwandu Chibwe's election, stripping Unite Here Local 25 of its representation over more than 60 food service workers, front of house workers, room attendants, and other hospitality staff at the property.

Both Chibwe and Lishchenko received free legal aid from the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation, which announced the certified results in a March 12 press release. The foundation described the outcomes as victories that came despite resistance from both unions, asserting that Unite Here and IUOE officials filed charges against Sofitel Lafayette management with NLRB Region 5 in what the foundation characterized as an attempt to delay or block the votes. The National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation said the certifications were finalized regardless: "Two separate groups of employees of Sofitel Washington DC Lafayette Square have prevailed in their battle to free themselves from the 'representation' of Unite Here Local 25 and IUOE Local 99 union officials. Their victories were cemented after the National Labor Relations Board officially certified the results of their votes to remove the unions."

The claims about charges filed with NLRB Region 5 come exclusively from the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation, an advocacy organization that opposes compulsory union membership. Neither Unite Here Local 25 nor IUOE Local 99 has publicly responded to the certifications or to the foundation's characterization of their actions. Sofitel Washington DC Lafayette Square management and its parent company, Accor, have not issued statements. The NLRB has not publicly commented beyond the certification of the election results.

Decertification elections follow the same basic NLRB process as certification elections: workers petition to hold a vote, and if a majority votes to remove the union, the board certifies the result and the union loses its status as the bargaining representative. The specific vote tallies from both elections at the Sofitel have not been released publicly.

The dual decertifications at a single property are notable given the scope: the Unite Here group alone covered more than 60 workers across multiple job categories central to daily hotel operations. NLRB case numbers and underlying petition documents were not included in available materials and would provide additional detail on when the original petitions were filed and how long the process ran before the March certifications.