PHOTOS: U.S. Hotel Workers’ Strike over Wages Threatens Labor Day Travel

People rally at a press conference after a strike authorization vote by UNITE HERE Local 2
Andrew Burke-Stevenson/The Boston Globe via Getty Images
Amy Furr

A reported 10,000 hotel workers in several cities across America are on strike in a push for better wages and a reversal of staffing cuts.

The strike is happening over Labor Day weekend following contract talks with Marriott International, Hilton, and Hyatt, Reuters reported Sunday, citing the Unite Here union.

The outlet continued:

Unite Here, which represents workers in hotels, casinos, and airports across the United States and Canada, said thousands of workers at 25 hotels are on strike in some major travel destinations including San Francisco and San Diego in California, Hawaii’s capital city Honolulu, Boston, Seattle, and Greenwich, Connecticut, with workers from additional cities ready to join the walkout as the Labor Day holiday weekend continues.
The strike is taking place with the industry facing a 9% increase in Labor Day weekend domestic travel compared to last year, according to AAA booking data.
 Images show one large group of workers carrying signs that read “Workers Need a Raise” and “Make Them Pay!”:

According to Hyatt’s lead of labor relations for the Americas, Michael D’Angelo, its hotels have contingency plans in place to deal with the strikes, the Associated Press (AP) reported Sunday.

He noted that, “We are disappointed that UNITE HERE has chosen to strike while Hyatt remains willing to negotiate.”

There are approximately 1.9 million people working in America’s hotel industry which is about 196,000 fewer than there were in early 2019, per Bureau of Labor Statistics, the AP article noted.

One group of workers began picketing at 4:00 a.m. outside a hotel, and WCVB reported that about 900 workers had left their jobs which included room attendants, front desk agents, doormen, cooks, dishwashers, and banquet servers.

“The biggest thing they’re fighting for is higher wages,” a reporter for the outlet said:

UNITE HERE Local 2 shared video footage Thursday of workers picketing in San Francisco. “FEEL THE HEAT?! That’s us. We are turning up the temperature for a possible STRIKE at Westin St. Francis and 7 other SF hotels”:

“We’re over the frequent DISRESPECT. It ends NOW!” the union said.

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