Hotel Workers Across the U.S. Strike Over Labor Day Weekend

The recent hotel workers’ strike across the United States involves around 10,000 workers from major hotel chains such as Hilton, Hyatt, and Marriott. The strike was organized by the UNITE HERE union and began over the Labor Day weekend in several cities, including Boston, Honolulu, San Francisco, Seattle, San Diego, and more. The strike aims to address issues such as better wages, fairer workloads, and reversing job cuts and service reductions implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic. Workers are demanding that hotels return to pre-pandemic staffing levels and restore guest services that were cut back during the pandemic​ UPI and Times of San Diego

Over ten thousand hotel workers across the United States went on strike starting Sunday, targeting major hotel chains such as Marriott, Hyatt, Hilton, and Omni. The strike, which occurs over the busy Labor Day weekend, spans several cities including Boston, San Francisco, San Jose, and Seattle.

More than 10,000 workers at 25 U.S. hotels were on strike Monday after choosing Labor Day weekend to amplify their demands for higher pay, fairer workloads and the reversal of COVID-era cuts. https://t.co/cWFPO6n2bg

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The Unite Here union, representing more than 40,000 hotel workers, is calling for higher wages, fairer workloads, and the reversal of pandemic-era job cuts. The union has been locked in contract negotiations with these major hotel chains. Despite hotels making significant profits and room rates reaching new highs, many workers are struggling to make ends meet, often needing to work multiple jobs.

Elena Duran, a server at Marriott’s Palace Hotel in San Francisco for 33 years, voiced her frustrations: “Since COVID, they’re expecting us to give five-star service with three-star staff,” she said. “A couple of 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.”

The strikes are expected to last up to three days at each hotel. The union is urging travelers to avoid eating, sleeping, or meeting at any of the hotels where workers are striking during this period. This call to action aims to increase pressure on the hotel chains to negotiate fair terms for their workers.

Thousands of hotel workers strike across US cities over failedcontract talksThousands of U.S. hotel workers in several cities are on a multi-day strike aftercontract talks with hotel operators Marriott International MAR.O, Hilton pic.twitter.com/yyJFk3eGf9

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Michael D’Angelo, Hyatt’s head of labor relations for the Americas, expressed disappointment over the union’s decision to strike but stated that the company has contingency plans to minimize disruptions and remains open to negotiations. Similarly, Hilton released a statement affirming its commitment to negotiating in good faith to reach fair agreements. Marriott has not yet commented on the strike.

UNITE HERE President Gwen Mills stated that the strike reflects a broader discontent with the current state of the hotel industry, which, despite making record profits, has not adequately compensated workers or improved their working conditions post-pandemic. The union argues that many workers can no longer afford to live in the cities where they work due to rising costs and inadequate pay​ UPI

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The strike also comes at a time when 40,000 hotel workers across 20 cities are facing expiring contracts this year, with ongoing negotiations for new four-year agreements. This large-scale action underscores the tension between hotel management and labor forces as the industry recovers from the pandemic​ Times of San Diego

Key Points:

i. Over 10,000 hotel workers across major U.S. cities have gone on strike, demanding higher wages, fairer workloads, and the reversal of pandemic-era job cuts.

ii. The Unite Here union, representing over 40,000 workers, is in contract negotiations with big hotel chains like Marriott, Hyatt, Hilton, and Omni.

iii. Workers argue that despite hotels making record profits, they are overworked and underpaid, with many needing second jobs to make ends meet.

iv. The strikes are scheduled to last up to three days at each hotel, and travelers are urged to avoid these hotels during the strike period.

v. Some hotel chains, such as Hyatt and Hilton, have contingency plans to minimize disruption and remain open to negotiation, while Marriott has yet to comment.

James Kravitz – Reprinted with permission of Whatfinger News