Hotel Workers Win Contracts in Greenwich, Providence as Strikes Continue in Other Cities Across the U.S.
Over 4,000 Hotel Workers Are on Strike in Honolulu, San Diego, and San Francisco, and More Strikes Could Begin Soon
Greenwich, Conn. – Hotel workers in Greenwich, Conn., and Providence, R.I., have ratified new union contracts that include wage increases and more affordable health care. The contracts at the Hyatt Regency Greenwich and Omni Providence Hotel are the first in ongoing national disputes between the hotel workers’ union UNITE HERE and Hilton, Hyatt, Marriott, and Omni.
The union celebrated the contract settlements while cautioning that ongoing strikes across the U.S. are expected to grow before labor disputes are resolved. Over 4,000 hotel workers are currently on strike in Honolulu, San Diego, and San Francisco, and more strikes could begin soon.
“My co-workers and I put a lot of work into this fight,” said George Cook, a banquet attendant at the Omni Providence Hotel. “We were ready to do whatever it took to win. I’m happy that we’re able to get the best contract we ever had, with wage increases that will help us pay our rent and take care of our families.”
“With the pay raise, I will no longer have to work two to three jobs at a time, seven days a week,” said Shakira Abad Payano, a housekeeping room inspector at the Omni Providence Hotel. “I can spend more time with my children, and we can go on vacation every year.”
“These first contracts are an encouragement to hotel workers in other cities as strikes continue,” said Gwen Mills, International President of UNITE HERE. “Hotel workers in Honolulu, San Diego, and San Francisco are going to strike for as long as it takes to win what they need, and more strikes are possible. We’re in this for the long haul, and we urge travelers to continue to prepare for possible widespread disruptions.”
Staffers at the Hyatt Regency Greenwich were among 10,000 workers across the U.S. who went on strike on Labor Day weekend; workers at the Omni Providence Hotel voted overwhelmingly to authorize a strike on August 7. Around 4,000 hotel workers are currently on strike in Honolulu, San Diego, and San Francisco. More strikes could begin at any time in Baltimore, Boston, Kauai, Oakland, Sacramento, San Jose, San Mateo County, and Seattle.
The union urges guests not to eat, sleep, or meet at any hotel that is on strike. Hotels may suspend services while trying to operate with skeleton staffing, and picket lines will run outside struck hotels for up to 24 hours a day. During earlier strikes, guests experienced disruptions including unavailable daily housekeeping, towels and linens piled up in hallways, piles of trash visible outside, closed bars and restaurants, and reduced pool hours. Guests are encouraged to consult the union’s travel guide and use its Labor Dispute Map at FairHotel.org, where they can search hotels by name or city to learn whether a hotel is on strike and find alternatives.
Workers are calling for higher wages, fair staffing and workloads, and the reversal of COVID-era cuts. They are members of the UNITE HERE union, and they include housekeepers, front desk agents, cooks, dishwashers, servers, bartenders, bellhops, doormen, and more.
Hotel room rates are at record highs, and the U.S. hotel industry made over $100 billion in gross operating profit in 2022. But hotel workers report that their wages aren’t enough to support their families, and many have to work multiple jobs to make ends meet.
The union says that many hotels took advantage of the pandemic to cut staffing and guest services like automatic daily housekeeping and room service. Staffing per occupied room was down 13% from 2019 to 2022 as many hotels maintained COVID-era cuts, causing some workers to lose jobs and income while increased workloads cause pain and stress for others.
Last year, UNITE HERE members won record contracts after rolling strikes at Los Angeles hotels and a 47-day strike at Detroit casinos.