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Ten thousand hotel workers across the U.S.went on strike beginning Sunday, with employees at major chains including Marriott and Hyatt walking off the job in cities including Boston, San Francisco, San Jose and Seattle. The strike comes as millions of Americans are traveling over the busyLabor Day weekend.
The Unite Here union, which represents more than 40,000 workers, has been locked in contract negotiations with several big hotel chains, including Hilton, Hyatt, Marriott and Omni.
In a statementon Sunday, the union said it’s seeking higher wages, fairer workloads and the reversal of pandemic-era job cuts. Some hotel workers must take on a second job to make ends meet, even as room rates have hit record highs and hotel chains are booking billions in annual profits, Unite Here claims.
“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 for 33 years, said in the Unite Here statement. “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.”
How long will the strike last?
The strikes are scheduled to last up to three days at each of the hotels, according to the union, which is urging travelers to avoid eating, sleeping or meeting at any hotel where workers are striking.
Michael D’Angelo, Hyatt’s head of labor relations for the Americas, said the company’s hotels have contingency plans to minimize the impact of the strikes. “We are disappointed that Unite Here has chosen to strike while Hyatt remains willing to negotiate,” he said.
In a statement before the strikes began, Hilton said it was “committed to negotiating in good faith to reach fair and reasonable agreements.”
Marriott didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
Here’s a list of hotels where workers are striking, along with the number of days the strike is expected to last at each location, according to Unite Here.
Baltimore
Hilton Baltimore Inner Harbor — 1 day
Boston
Fairmont Copley Plaza — 3 daysHampton Inn & Homewood Suites by Hilton Boston Seaport — 3 daysHilton Boston Logan Airport — 3 daysHilton Boston Park Plaza — 3 days
Greenwich, Connecticut
Hyatt Regency Greenwich — 3 days
Honolulu, Hawaii
Hilton Hawaiian Village — 3 daysHyatt Regency Waikiki Beach — 3 daysThe Royal Hawaiian (Marriott Luxury Collection) — 3 daysSheraton Princess Kaiulani (Marriott) — 3 daysSheraton Waikiki (Marriott) — 3 daysWaikiki Beach Marriott — 3 daysWestin Moana Surfrider (Marriott) — 3 days
Kauai, Hawaii
Sheraton Kauai Resort (Marriott) — 3 days
San Francisco
Grand Hyatt Union Square — 3 daysHilton Union Square — 3 daysWestin St. Francis (Marriott) — 3 daysPalace Hotel (Marriott Luxury Collection) — 3 daysGrand Hyatt SFO — 3 days
San Diego
Hilton San Diego Bayfront — 2 days
San Jose
DoubleTree by Hilton San Jose — 3 daysSignia by Hilton San Jose — 3 days
Seattle
DoubleTree by Hilton Seattle Airport — 2 daysHilton Seattle Airport & Conference Center — 2 daysWestin Seattle (Marriott) — 2 days
—with reporting by the Associated Press.
