Thousands of hotel workers at 25 hotels in eight cities, including Honolulu, Boston, San Francisco, San Jose, San Diego, and Seattle went on strike early Sunday morning, disrupting travel during a busy Labor Day weekend.
Unite Here, which represents workers in hotels, casinos, and airports across the United States and Canada, said more than 10,000 workers are on strike in Honolulu, Boston, San Francisco, San Jose, San Diego, and Seattle with hotel workers from additional cities ready to join the walkout as the Labor Day holiday weekend continues.
Unite Here, the union representing the striking workers, says they are striking for higher wages, better working conditions, and daily room cleaning work. The hotels are reportedly still open but the guests will deal with a minimum staff that cannot provide full services.
“We’re on strike because the hotel industry has gotten off track,” Gwen Mills, International President of Unite Here, said in a statement Sunday morning. “During Covid, everyone suffered, but now the hotel industry makes record profits while workers and guests are left behind. Too many hotels still haven’t restored the standard services that guests deserve. Workers aren’t making enough to support their families. Many can no longer afford to live in the cities they welcome guests to.”
Union President Gwen Mills characterizes the contract negotiations as part of a long-standing battle to secure family-sustaining compensation for service workers on par with more traditionally male-dominated industries. “Hospitality work overall is undervalued, and it’s not a coincidence that it’s disproportionately women and people of color doing the work,” Mills said.
The union hopes to build on its recent success in southern California, where after repeated strikes it won significant wage hikes, increased employer contributions to pensions, and fair workload guarantees in a new contract with 34 hotels. Under the contract, housekeepers at most hotels will earn $35 an hour by July 2027.
Kevin Carey, the association’s interim president and CEO, says hotels are doing all they can to attract workers. According to the association’s surveys, 86% of hoteliers have increased wages over the past six months, and many have offered more flexibility with hours or expanded benefits. The association says wages for hotel workers have risen 26% since the pandemic. “Now is a fantastic time to be a hotel employee,” Carey said.
Hotel workers say the reality is more complicated. Maria Mata, 61, a housekeeper at the W Hotel in San Francisco, said she earns $2,190 every two weeks if she gets to work full-time. But some weeks, she only gets called in one or two days, causing her to max out her credit card to pay for household expenses.“It’s hard to look for a new job at my age. I have to keep the faith that we will work this out,” Mata said.
Tracy Lingo, president of UNITE HERE Local 7, said the Baltimore members are seeking pensions for the first time but the biggest priority is bringing hourly wages closer to those in other cities.
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