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Hotel Worker Strike Possible in Four US Cities

Thousands of hotel workers with the Unite Here labor union will vote to authorize strikes in the coming weeks

By Linden M. Bayliss

The potential for a hotel worker strike is growing in cities across the U.S., which could greatly affect the logistics of scheduled meetings and events. Approximately 13,500 hotel staff in Boston, Massachusetts; Honolulu, Hawaii; Providence, Rhode Island; and San Francisco, California, at hotel brands including Hilton, Hyatt, Marriott, and Omni, announced plans for a strike authorization vote last month. Their demands include higher wages, fair staffing/workloads, and the reversal of staffing cuts made during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Hotel workers in Los Angeles, California, reached record contract deals after striking last year. || Courtesy of Unite Here

“I sleep with pain, I wake up with pain, I go to work with pain,” says Jianci Liang, who has been a housekeeper at the Hilton Boston Park Plaza in Boston for the past seven years, in a prepared statement. “Since we returned to work after COVID-19, there are about 20 fewer room attendants on the regular schedule.” Liang says without the proper staffing, the job has become increasingly difficult, with current housekeepers having to cover the work of those 20 fewer employees when guest rooms are sold out.

Strike votes will be held beginning Aug. 6, and if authorized, the strikes could begin any time after current contracts expire. Contracts in some cities have already expired, with others due to expire in the coming weeks. The strike vote announcements follow protests in 10 cities in mid-July as contract negotiations continue. More than 40,000 hotel workers with the Unite Here labor union headquartered in New York City, New York, have contracts up for renegotiation this year in more than 20 cities across the U.S. and Canada. Additional strike votes might be announced. Last year, Unite Here members in California won record contracts after strikes at Los Angeles hotels.

“Momentum is building for strikes this year because workers are at a breaking point while the hotel industry is making record profits,” says Unite Here International President Gwen Mills. The U.S. hotel industry’s gross operating profit was 26.63% higher in 2022 than in 2019.

“Hotel companies took advantage of COVID-19 to make severe cuts to staffing and guest services, and now workers say that their jobs are more painful than ever,” Mills continues. “Meanwhile, wages aren’t enough to cover the cost of living, and many workers have two or even three jobs. This is a fight about the future of the industry for guests and workers alike, and our members are putting the hotels on notice that they’re ready to strike for what their families need.”

unitehere.org

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