SPX STATEMENT #2 ON THE LOCAL 25 BOYCOTT SPX continues to track the ongoing labor situation at our long-time host facility, the Bethesda North Marriott Hotel and Conference Center, including recent discussions with UNITE HERE Local 25, the Washington, DC-area union of hospitality workers, which has called for a boycott of the Marriott Conference Center. This action was recently endorsed by the AFL-CIO, which added the conference center to its national boycott list in July 2026. (read here why SPX is not directly participating in the boycott).
As we head into the final stretch towards our 2026 festival, we want to share with you the actions we are taking — and ways you can help — to support Local 25’s efforts. Those familiar with SPX might tend to think of the hotel and conference center as a single facility, but the Bethesda North Marriott hotel and the Montgomery County Conference Center are in fact legally distinct entities, with separate ownership.
- The conference center is Montgomery County-owned and is managed, under a county contract, by Marriott International.
- The hotel is owned by a private company, which has its own separate management contract with Marriott International.
The Local 25 boycott is specifically directed towards the Montgomery County Conference Center, not the hotel, hotel restaurant, or hotel convenience store.
The Situation Local 25 is pursuing a Labor Peace Agreement (LPA) – also known as a Collective Bargaining Agreement – to be in place for the Montgomery County Conference Center. An LPA typically entails a commitment from an employer to remain neutral and not interfere with labor organizing, with the union generally agreeing not to strike, picket, or otherwise disrupt the operations during the organizing process.
- Montgomery County did not include an LPA clause in the contract it signed with Marriott International in the Spring of 2025, which is what then prompted the ongoing action by Local 25.
- The county contract signed last year without the LPA remains in effect through 2034.
- The LPA being sought by Local 25 would cover about 140 additional employees at the conference center.
- There is currently no direct dispute between Marriott International and the Maryland Conference Center employees.
SPX fully supports Local 25’s efforts to protect the right of these workers to decide for themselves whether to unionize without potential interference or intimidation. This is consistent with existing federal labor law, which prohibits retaliation and provides a process for workers deciding whether to unionize.
Actions We Are Taking
SPX endorses Local 25’s call for an LPA and for Montgomery County and Marriott International agree to a formal commitment to a neutral, protected organizing process for its workers.
We also call on Marriott International, along with the Montgomery County Government and its agencies, to cease any actions that could be construed as curtailing free speech on the public property of the conference center, such as the recent fencing-off of areas occupied by Local 25-related protests.
SPX has sent letters to all parties involved in this issue referenced below.
How You Can Help
Many members of the SPX community have reached out asking how they can help support Local 25. In SPX’s recent discussions with the union, they have emphasized the importance and effectiveness of sustained outreach.
They asked for our assistance in promoting a letter writing campaign to aid in their efforts and are providing the below information so that everyone can voice their support for Local 25's efforts.
It is our hope that such action from the SPX community – local, national, and international – can help turn the corner on this situation. In expressing your support for Local 25, there are several relevant points of contact:
The Montgomery County Executive County Executive Marc Elrich, who entered into the current conference center management agreement with Marriott International, has previously expressed public support for the addition of an LPA to Marriott International’s management contact and has met with both Marriott and Local 25. Elrich’s administration has said explicitly that it supports the Conference Center workers’ right to organize and bargain and that an LPA would facilitate that process. The County Executive’s efforts to negotiate a contract amendment with Marriott international have thus far been unsuccessful but need to be maintained, especially it was the County's issue to not have included the LPA in the contract signed with Marriott. County Executive Marc Elrich 101 Monroe Street, 2nd Floor Rockville, MD 20850 240-777-2550
Montgomery County Conference Center Management Committee Montgomery County has established a Conference Center Management Committee, which oversees Marriott International’s performance under the management agreement for the conference center, The committee includes representatives of the County Executive, County Council.
The County could use this oversight and its broader contractual relationship with Marriott to press for resolution of the dispute. Montgomery County, Board, Committees and Commissions Office 101 Monroe Street Rockville, MD 20850 countyexecutive.boards@montgomerycountymd.gov 240-777-2528
Marriott International Local 25’s dispute, as discussed above, is most explicitly with Marriott International, as the direct employer for personnel at the Montgomery County Conference Center. Marriott International is contracted to manage both the hotel and conference center, under separate agreements.
Marriott says that the contract already mandates compliance with federal labor laws and they will respect their workers' decisions through the legal process. They did not agree to a separate labor peace deal. Marriott International can be reached via: Marriott International 7750 Wisconsin Ave Bethesda, MD 20814 301-380-3000 The Montgomery County Council The Montgomery County Conference Center is publicly owned and managed by Marriott International through an agreement with the county. I response to the lack of an LPA in the contract with Marriott International for the Mpntgomery Copunty Conference Center, in September 2025, the Council unanimously enacted Bill 22-25, requiring labor-peace agreements for qualifying future hotel development projects in which Montgomery County has a proprietary/economic interest, but this does not retroactively amend the existing Marriott management agreement. Montgomery County Council 100 Maryland Ave Rockville, MD 20850 240-777-7900
What this Means for SPX’s Future
SPX has called the Bethesda North Marriott Hotel and Conference Center home for 20 years. In the short term, we have our own contracts with the facility for future years that makes it financially impossible to summarily end this relationship. Nonetheless, this impasse cannot continue, to the detriment of Montgomery County Conference Center workers, who have taken care of us so well for two decades. SPX will continue to advocate for positive change, to pressure our community leaders to take action. We will share any and all information with the SPX community as it becomes available.
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