Thousands of hotel workers have begun a multi-day strike in several cities across the United States demanding higher wages and more staff after contract negotiations with major hotel chains Hyatt, Hilton and Marriott reached an impasse.
Workers went on strike Sunday in 25 cities, including San Francisco, Seattle, Greenwich, Connecticut, and Honolulu, according to Unite Here, a labor union representing hospitality workers in North America. Organizers said the strike is expected to last two to three days because it coincides with Labor Day. Workers in Baltimore; New Haven, Connecticut; Oakland, California; and Providence, Rhode Island, are also prepared to join the strike.
Workers are demanding higher wages and more staff to ease the workload. The union says many hotels cut staff and accommodation services during the COVID-19 pandemic and those cuts have not been reversed.
The American Hotel & Lodging Association, a trade group representing major hotel operators, said 86% of its member hotels reported wage increases in the first half of the year. Since the pandemic began, the average wage for hotel workers has increased by 26%, the association said.
Many hotel workers say their salaries do not cover the cost of living and they have to work multiple jobs to make ends meet.
“Everyone has suffered during the COVID-19 pandemic, but now the hotel industry is making record profits while workers and guests are being left behind,” said Gwen Mills, international director of Unite Here. “Many can no longer afford to live in the cities that welcome guests, and backbreaking work is destroying their bodies. We cannot accept a ‘new normal’ where hotel companies make profits by cutting services for guests and abandoning their promises to employees.”
The AHLA said it is dealing with a labor shortage and occupancy rates not catching up to pre-pandemic levels, with about 80% of hotels reporting staffing shortages and 50% citing housekeeping as their biggest hiring need.
Still, the hotel industry is expecting record revenue this year thanks to rising room rates and guest spending.
Average revenue per room is expected to reach a record high of $101.84 in 2024, according to the hotel group.
Steven Fufana, a kitchen assistant at the Hilton Hawaiian Village in Honolulu, said the shortage at his workplace has meant extra work for him and his coworkers. He is one of at least 5,000 workers at seven hotels in the Hawaiian capital who voted to authorize the strike.
“We’re left with an increased workload and little to no support to actually deliver a good product to our guests,” he said.
“A lot of times we come home tired and overworked and we don’t even get to enjoy life after work.”
Fufana, 41, said he was earning a livable wage when he was hired by the hotel eight years ago, but wages haven’t kept up with inflation. He said some family members working in the hospitality industry have left the island for the west coast to earn a livable wage.
“I’ve overcome hardships to get to where I am now, but I don’t need to struggle to stay where I am,” said Mr.
Earlier this year, unions secured major gains for hotel workers in Southern California after a months-long strike that began last summer. Workers at 34 hotels won significant wage increases, increased employer contributions to pensions, and guaranteed fair working hours.
In a statement, Hyatt said it remains open to negotiations with the union. “We look forward to continuing to negotiate a fair contract and recognizing the contributions of Hyatt employees,” the hotel operator said. Marriott and Hilton did not immediately respond to NPR’s requests for comment.
Unity Here spokeswoman Tiffany ten Eyck said negotiations would continue but the two sides “remain significantly apart on the issues that matter most to hotel workers.”