Momentum Builds in Hotel Strikes as Honolulu Workers at Hilton Hawaiian Village, World’s Biggest Hilton, Reach Deal
Strikes Continue in San Francisco; More Strikes Possible in Hawaii, San Francisco, and More
Honolulu, Hawaii – Nearly 2,000 hotel workers at the Hilton Hawaiian Village have reached a tentative agreement for a new contract. If ratified as expected during a vote today, it will conclude a 40-day strike at Hawaii’s biggest hotel. Marriott workers in Boston have a tentative agreement and will vote to ratify their contracts on Wednesday. The hotel workers’ union UNITE HERE celebrated the settlements as a signal of momentum but noted that 2,000 hotel workers remain on strike at Hilton, Hyatt, and Marriott hotels in San Francisco and cautioned that more strikes are possible in cities across the country.
Workers at the Hilton Hawaiian Village are voting today and are expected to ratify the tentative agreement, which was reached late on Saturday night and includes significant wage increases, affordable health care, and staffing and workload protections.
Approx. 1,931 hotel workers remain on strike at five Hilton, Hyatt, and Marriott hotels in San Francisco. More strikes have been authorized and could begin at any time in Boston, Honolulu, Kauai, Oakland, San Diego, San Francisco, San Mateo County, and Seattle.
“After being on strike for 40 days, I could not be more proud of my coworkers and my union for reaching a tentative agreement that accomplishes our major goals including wage increases that put a real value on the importance of our jobs as hospitality workers,” said Ed Schack, a cook at the Hilton Hawaiian Village for 35 years. “At the same time, I know the fight is not over yet and I am ready to stand behind other hotel workers fighting for a fair contract.”
“Momentum is building as hotel workers across the U.S. fight for decent pay and fair workloads,” said Gwen Mills, International President of UNITE HERE. “Our recent settlements prove that jobs at Hilton, Hyatt, and Marriott can be genuinely good, family-sustaining jobs, and strikes will continue until workers in all our cities have won contracts that deliver on that promise.”
UNITE HERE has urged hotels to notify guests of strike activity; the labor disputes have disrupted hotel operations and led to guest complaints and demands for refunds. The union urges travelers not to eat, meet, or sleep at any hotel that’s on strike. 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.
After months of contract negotiations, over 10,000 hotel workers across the U.S. have gone on strike since Labor Day weekend. Hotel workers in Boston; Greenwich and New Haven, Conn.; Providence, R.I.; Sacramento, Calif.; San Diego; San Jose; and Toronto, Canada, have recently ratified new union contracts.