By Doyinsola Oladipo and Mrinmay Dey
NEW YORK (Reuters) – About 10,000 U.S. hotel workers began a multi-day strike in several cities on Sunday after contract talks with hotel operators Marriott International (NASDAQ:), Hilton Worldwide and Hyatt Hotels (NYSE:) reached an impasse, union Unite Here said.
Unite Here, which represents hotel, casino and airport workers in the United States and Canada, said thousands of workers at 25 hotels are on strike in some major tourist destinations, including San Francisco and San Diego in California, Hawaii's capital Honolulu, Boston, Seattle and Greenwich, Connecticut, and workers in other cities are set to join the strike as the Labor Day holiday weekend continues.
The strike comes as the industry faces a 9% increase in domestic travel over Labor Day weekend compared with last year, according to AAA booking data.
“Strikes have also been authorized and could begin at any time” in Baltimore, New Haven, Oakland and Providence, the union said in a statement, as hotel workers and operators struggle to agree on wages and reverse pandemic-era job cuts.
According to the union, hotel workers are overworked and management often assigns three staff members to do the work of four. This creates excessive stress and results in more focus on speed than service.
“Since the COVID pandemic, they expect us to offer five-star service with three-star staff,” the union said, citing a staff member at Marriott's Palace Hotel in San Francisco.
Baltimore hotel maids are fighting to have their wages raised from $16.20 an hour to $20. In Boston, where maids earn $28 an hour, the union is targeting a $10 an hour increase within four years.
Hilton and Hyatt said they remain committed to negotiating a fair agreement with the union.
Hyatt has contingency plans in place to minimize the impact on hotel operations related to potential strike activity, Michael D'Angelo, chief labor relations officer for the luxury hotel chain, said in a statement.
Marriott did not respond to a request for comment from Reuters.
The strike comes as 40,000 Unite Here hotel workers in 20 cities face the expiration of their contracts this year. Negotiations for new four-year contracts have been underway since May, and about 15,000 of those workers have authorized strikes in 12 markets.
“We will not accept a 'new normal' where hotel companies profit by cutting their offerings to guests and abandoning their commitments to workers,” said Unite Here president Gwen Mills, demanding better treatment.
The union has urged travelers to cancel hotel stays if workers are on strike and to demand refunds without penalties.
In 2023, Unite Here workers won record contracts in Los Angeles after ongoing strikes and in Detroit after a 47-day strike.
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