Over 10,000 workers across 25 U.S. hotels initiated a strike on Labor Day weekend to push for higher wages, fairer workloads, and the restoration of cutbacks made during the COVID-19 pandemic. The UNITE HERE union, representing the striking employees including housekeepers, confirmed that 200 workers at the Hilton Baltimore Inner Harbor joined the strike.
A significant portion of the striking workers, approximately 5,000, are in Honolulu, while thousands more are participating in cities like Boston, San Francisco, Seattle, San Diego, and San Jose. These strikes at Marriott, Hilton, and Hyatt hotels were planned to last between one to three days. UNITE HERE stated that 15,000 workers have voted to authorize strikes, with potential extensions to other cities such as New Haven, Oakland, and Providence.
Union President Gwen Mills highlighted that these strikes are part of a larger effort to secure fair wages for service workers comparable to industries traditionally dominated by men. The union’s main demands include reinstating daily room cleaning at major hotel chains, as workers have faced overwhelming workloads, reduced hours, and income declines since the pandemic began.
Although some hotels argue that guests are no longer requesting daily cleaning services, Michael D’Angelo, the head of labor relations for Hyatt in the Americas, mentioned that the chain has devised plans to mitigate the strike’s impact on hotel operations. Despite this, Hyatt expressed disappointment in UNITE HERE’s decision to strike while they were open to negotiations and emphasized their commitment to fair contract discussions and acknowledging employees’ contributions.
Marriott and Hilton had no immediate comments regarding the strikes when contacted on Monday.
