U.S. Hotels Affected by Ongoing Worker Strike: What to Know

Ten thousand hotel workers across the United States initiated a strike starting Sunday, with employees from well-known chains such as Marriott and Hyatt walking off the job in various cities, including Boston, San Francisco, San Jose, and Seattle. This strike occurs during the busy Labor Day weekend, a peak travel time for many Americans.

The Unite Here union, which represents over 40,000 hotel workers, has been engaged in contract discussions with several major hotel brands, including Hilton, Hyatt, Marriott, and Omni.

In a statement released on Sunday, the union outlined its demands for higher wages, more manageable workloads, and the reversal of job cuts made during the pandemic. Many hotel workers have been pushed to take on second jobs to make ends meet, despite hotel chains reporting record-high room rates and significant annual profits, according to Unite Here.

“Since COVID, they’re expecting us to give five-star service with three-star staff,” says Elena Duran, a server at Marriott’s Palace Hotel in San Francisco, who has worked there for 33 years. “A couple of weeks ago, we were at 98% occupancy, but they only assigned three servers when we used to have a team of four or five. It’s too much pressure on us to go faster and faster instead of calling in more people to work.”

The strikes are planned to last up to three days at each participating hotel, with the union encouraging travelers to avoid dining, sleeping, or holding meetings at any hotel impacted by the strike.

Michael D’Angelo, Hyatt’s head of labor relations for the Americas, expressed disappointment at Unite Here’s decision to strike while stating that Hyatt remains open to negotiations. “We are disappointed that Unite Here has chosen to strike while Hyatt remains willing to negotiate,” he said.

In anticipation of the strikes, Hilton released a statement expressing its commitment to negotiating in good faith to reach fair agreements. Meanwhile, Marriott did not provide immediate comments regarding the strike actions.

The following is a list of hotels where workers are on strike, along with the expected duration of the strike at each location, as reported by Unite Here:

• Baltimore
  • Hilton Baltimore Inner Harbor — 1 day
• Boston
  • Fairmont Copley Plaza — 3 days
  • Hampton Inn & Homewood Suites by Hilton Boston Seaport — 3 days
  • Hilton Boston Logan Airport — 3 days
  • Hilton Boston Park Plaza — 3 days
• Greenwich, Connecticut
  • Hyatt Regency Greenwich — 3 days
• Honolulu, Hawaii
  • Hilton Hawaiian Village — 3 days
  • Hyatt Regency Waikiki Beach — 3 days
  • The Royal Hawaiian (Marriott Luxury Collection) — 3 days
  • Sheraton Princess Kaiulani (Marriott) — 3 days
  • Sheraton Waikiki (Marriott) — 3 days
  • Waikiki Beach Marriott — 3 days
  • Westin Moana Surfrider (Marriott) — 3 days
• Kauai, Hawaii
  • Sheraton Kauai Resort (Marriott) — 3 days
• San Francisco
  • Grand Hyatt Union Square — 3 days
  • Hilton Union Square — 3 days
  • Westin St. Francis (Marriott) — 3 days
  • Palace Hotel (Marriott Luxury Collection) — 3 days
  • Grand Hyatt SFO — 3 days
• San Diego
  • Hilton San Diego Bayfront — 2 days
• San Jose
  • DoubleTree by Hilton San Jose — 3 days
  • Signia by Hilton San Jose — 3 days
• Seattle
  • DoubleTree by Hilton Seattle Airport — 2 days
  • Hilton Seattle Airport & Conference Center — 2 days
  • Westin Seattle (Marriott) — 2 days

Source: Associated Press