Hotel workers across the country keep going on strike
More than 1,500 hotel workers in San Francisco went on strike Monday, demanding better pay and treatment from Hilton (HLT), Marriott (MAR), and Hyatt.
The action Monday is part of a month-long effort from members of the Unite Here labor union, who have been mostly striking for short periods since Sept 1.
More than 13,500 total hotel workers have walked off the job at some point in the past three weeks in Massachusetts, Connecticut, Hawaiʻi, Washington, and California. At the Hilton San Diego Bayfront, 720 workers have been on indefinite strike since Sept 1.
“I’m on strike because I have to work two jobs to support my family,” Jin Ling Xie, who has worked a housekeeper at the Hilton San Francisco Union Square for a decade, said in a statement. “I love my job, and going on strike wasn’t an easy decision, but it’s what I have to do for my family.
Jin said a job at Hilton doesn’t cover the bills: “ I’m always worried about the family budget. My kids are in high school, and I don’t know how I will pay for their college. Things are hard right now, but I know that when we fight together, we can win a better future.”
Gwen Mills, International President of Unite Here, said the workers want Covid-era staffing cuts to housekeeping and other hotel services restored. Staffing for occupied rooms is down 13% between 2019 to 2022.
“Hotels and hotel workers all suffered during the pandemic, but now the hotel industry is making record profits,” Mills said. “These huge hotel corporations can afford to reverse Covid-era cuts and give us wages that are enough to live on, health care that’s affordable, and workloads that don’t break your body.”
Marriott and Hilton did not immediately return a request for comment.
Hyatt (H) told Quartz it has a “history of offering competitive wages and benefits in the market.”
“[...] Hyatt has a long history of cooperation with the unions that represent our employees, including Unite Here Local 2,” Michael D’Angelo, head of labor relations at Hyatt’s hotels in the Americas, said. “We are disappointed that Unite Here Local 2 has chosen to strike once again while Hyatt remains willing to continue bargaining in good faith.”
