More than 10,000 hotel workers across 24 hotels went on strike early Sunday morning, potentially causing chaos on the busy Labor Day weekend.
The strike, organized by the UNITE HERE union, spans hotels from Boston to the West Coast to Hawaii. It means many hotels operating with limited staff, affecting guest services. The strike comes as hotel workers push for better wages and improved working conditions.
This includes the reinstatement of automatic daily room cleaning, a service that many hotels dropped during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Workers Demand Fair Pay and Better Working Conditions
Struggles in the Hotel Industry
UNITE HERE, the union representing the striking workers has emphasized that the strike is not just about wages but also about the quality of work life for hotel employees.
Gwen Mills, International President of UNITE HERE, highlighted the disconnect between the hotel industry’s post-pandemic profitability and the conditions faced by workers.
“We’re on strike because the hotel industry has gotten off track.
“During COVID, everyone suffered, but now the hotel industry makes record profits while workers and guests are left behind. Too many hotels still haven’t restored standard services that guests deserve. Workers aren’t making enough to support their families. Many can no longer afford to live in the cities that they welcome guests to.”
The rising cost of living has been particularly burdensome for many hotel workers.
Aissata Seck, a banquet food server at Hilton Park Plaza in Boston, shared her struggle to keep up with increasing rent, which has jumped from $1,900 to $2,900 in just five years.
She said: “My pay only covers my rent,” adding how she now drives for Uber to make ends meet.
Similarly, Apple Ratanabunsrithang, a cook at Hilton Union Square in San Francisco, expressed the difficulty of surviving in the city on current wages.
Ratanabunsrithang said:
“The majority of people that work and are in the union are long established — they’ve worked 10, 20, 30 years. So their whole life is working at a hotel, which is physical work, so the health care is very important.”
Impact on Hotel Operations
The strike affects several major hotel chains, including Hilton, Hyatt, and Marriott. They collectively operate 23,000 rooms across cities like Boston, San Diego, San Francisco, San Jose, Seattle, Honolulu, and Kauai in Hawaii, and Greenwich, Connecticut.
Despite the strike, the hotels remain open but are operating with reduced staff, leading to delays and limited services for guests.
One of the central issues in the strike is the reduction in housekeeping jobs following the pandemic.
Mills pointed out the lack of daily room cleaning has not only cost jobs but has also increased the workload for the remaining staff, who now have to clean rooms that haven’t been serviced for several days.
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Potential Expansion of the Strike
Threat of Wider Labor Action
The union has warned the strike could expand to as many as 65 hotels in 12 different cities: This includes
- Baltimore
- Oakland
- California
- Providence
- Rhode Island
- New Haven
- Connecticut
Hotel operators, including Hilton and Hyatt, have expressed a commitment to reaching an agreement with the union but have also stated that they will continue to serve customers during the work stoppage.
Hyatt, in a statement, expressed disappointment over the strike decision:
“We look forward to continuing to negotiate fair contracts and recognize the contributions of Hyatt employees.”
Historical Context and Future Outlook
This is not the first time UNITE HERE has led a significant strike during a major holiday. Last year, 15,000 union members went on strike during the Fourth of July holiday weekend at 65 hotels in Los Angeles and Orange counties in Southern California.
While they returned to work after three days, the union staged a series of rolling strikes in the months that followed, often timed with major tourist events, such as Taylor Swift concerts in Los Angeles.
The current Labor Day strike is scheduled to last three days, similar to the previous work stoppage in Los Angeles. However, Mills said the union has not ruled out the possibility of returning to rolling strikes if their demands are not met.
A Busy Travel Weekend Amid Labor Unrest
The strike comes at a time of heightened travel activity, with AAA forecasting a 9 percent increase in domestic travel compared to last year, and the Transportation Security Administration expecting record passenger screenings at US airports.
The disruption caused by the strike has added to the challenges faced by travelers during one of the busiest weekends of the year. As negotiations continue, the outcome of the strike will be closely watched by both the hotel industry and travelers alike.
The ability of the union and hotel operators to reach a resolution will determine whether this Labor Day disruption will have long-term implications for the industry.
