Thousands of US hotel workers strike on Labor Day

MMore than 10,000 workers at 25 U.S. hotels went on strike Monday, choosing Labor Day weekend to press their demands for higher wages, fairer workloads and a reversal of COVID-era austerity measures.

The UNITE HERE union, which represents striking housekeepers and other hospitality workers, said 200 employees at the Hilton Baltimore Inner Harbor were the last to walk off the job.

Nearly half of the striking workers — or 5,000 — are in Honolulu. Thousands of workers are also striking in Boston, San Francisco, Seattle, San Diego and San Jose, California. The strikes targeting Marriott, Hilton and Hyatt hotels are expected to last one to three days.

UNITE HERE reported that a total of 15,000 workers voted to authorize strikes. These strikes could soon spread to other cities, including New Haven, Connecticut, Oakland, California, and Providence, Rhode Island.

Union president Gwen Mills said the strikes were part of a long-standing fight to secure compensation that would allow service workers to support families on par with those in traditionally male-dominated industries.

“The work in hospitality is generally undervalued and it is no coincidence that it is disproportionately women and people of color who do this work,” Mills said.

Housekeepers’ union members want to reinstate automated daily room cleaning at major hotel chains, saying they’ve been left with unmanageable workloads, or in many cases, reduced hours and a drop in revenue. Many hotels cut shifts during the coronavirus pandemic and never recovered.

However, hotels say guests are no longer requesting daily room cleaning and other services.

Michael D’Angelo, head of labor relations for Hyatt in the Americas, said in a statement Monday that the chain has contingency plans in place to minimize the impact of the strikes on hotel operations.

“We are disappointed that UNITE HERE has chosen to strike while Hyatt remains willing to negotiate,” D’Angelo said. “We look forward to continuing to negotiate fair contracts and recognizing the contributions of Hyatt employees.”

Messages seeking comment were left with Marriott and Hilton on Monday.