Thousands of Hotel Workers on Strike Across the U.S.

 

Ten thousand Hilton, Hyatt and Marriott workers in several cities across the country began a multi-day strike over Labor Day weekend after negotiations with hotel operators stalled.  

Workers in Boston, Greenwich, Honolulu, Kauai, San Diego, San Francisco, San Jose and Seattle walked off the job on Sunday, citing the need for higher wages, better staffing and lighter workloads. Since then, the strike has only grown in numbers, with workers in Baltimore also walking off the job Monday morning.  

The hotel workers are members of UNITE HERE, a labor union that represents 100,000 hotel workers across Canada and the United States. The union has said that each city’s strike will last one to three days and that strikes have been authorized and could begin at any time in New Haven, CT, Oakland, CA and Providence, RI.  

The union has cited the fact that room rates are at record highs in recent years, with the U.S. hotel industry having made over $100 billion in gross operating profit in 2022. But hotel staffing per occupied room is down 13% from 2019 to 2022 as many hotels maintained COVID-era staffing cuts and ended services like daily housekeeping.  

“Since COVID, they’re expecting us to give five-star service with three-star staff,” Elena Duran, a server at Marriott’s Palace Hotel in San Francisco said in a UNITE HERE press release. “A couple weeks ago, we were at 98% occupancy, but they only put three servers when we used to be a team of four or five. It’s too much pressure on us to go faster and faster instead of calling in more people to work.”

However, some hotel companies seem to be experiencing the opposite problem. In a recent survey from the American Hotel & Lodging Association, 86% of surveyed hotels said they have increased wages for workers, and 76% of hotels said they are actually experiencing a staffing shortage. Other hotels have also reported that occupancy rates have not caught up to pre-pandemic levels.

Despite this, many hotel workers say those purported pay raises are not enough, with some having to work multiple jobs in order to make ends meet.  

“I work four part-time jobs to survive,” said Concepción Marquez, a banquet server at the Signia by Hilton San Jose and Marriott San Jose in another UNITE HERE press release. “Going on strike is a huge sacrifice, but it’s something I have to do for my family. Right now, we don’t have health insurance because my employers won’t give me hours. We told the bosses in our negotiations how hard things are for us right now, but they didn’t care. The hotel only respects power, so it’s time to show them our strength.”

The union has urged guests not to “eat, sleep or meet” at any hotel that is on strike or where workers have recently been on strike until a new contract is secured. Planners and other travelers are encouraged to consult the union’s travel guide and use its Labor Dispute Map, where they can learn whether a hotel is on strike and find alternatives if necessary.  

Fifteen thousand workers from UNITE HERE went on strike in Los Angeles last year, and Detroit casino workers went on a 47-day strike last year as well. Those strikes led to contracts for workers earlier this year, a strategy the union hopes will continue to pay off as they continue their negotiations with the hotel companies. 

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