Hilton, Hyatt, and Marriott Hotel Workers Strike in San Francisco
Over 2,000 Hotel Workers on Strike Over Wages, Workloads, and COVID-Era Cuts in San Francisco & San Diego; More Strikes Could Begin Soon
San Francisco, Calif. – Over 1,500 San Francisco hotel workers walked off the job today in the latest strike to hit the U.S. hotel industry. Like hundreds of San Diego hotel workers, who have been on strike for 22 days, the San Francisco hotel workers will strike until they win a new contract. A total of over 2,200 hotel workers are now on strike at Hilton, Hyatt, and Marriott hotels in San Diego and San Francisco. A three-day strike by over 1,250 Boston hotel workers ended yesterday, and more strikes could begin soon.
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.
“I’m on strike because I have to work two jobs to support my family,” said Jin Ling Xie, a housekeeper at the Hilton San Francisco Union Square for ten years. “I love my job, and going on strike wasn’t an easy decision, but it’s what I have to do for my family. My job at the Hilton isn’t enough to pay all the bills, so I’m always worried about the family budget. My kids are in high school, and I don’t know how I will pay for their college. Things are hard right now, but I know that when we fight together, we can win a better future.”
“Hotel workers aren’t giving up, because we’re fighting for our families,” said Gwen Mills, International President of UNITE HERE. “Hotels and hotel workers all suffered during the pandemic, but now the hotel industry is making record profits. These huge hotel corporations can afford to reverse COVID-era cuts and give us wages that are enough to live on, health care that’s affordable, and workloads that don’t break your body.”
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.
After months of contract negotiations, over 10,000 hotel workers across the U.S. went on strike on Labor Day weekend, most on limited duration strikes that ended after two or three days. More strikes followed in the subsequent weeks. Strike issues in all the cities remain unresolved, and negotiations are ongoing. Strikes have been authorized and could begin at any time in Baltimore, Boston, Honolulu, Kauai, New Haven, Oakland, Sacramento, San Jose, San Mateo County, and Seattle.
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.
Meanwhile, 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. The union says that many hotels took advantage of the pandemic to cut staffing and guest services like automatic daily housekeeping and room service.
Last year, UNITE HERE members won record contracts after rolling strikes at Los Angeles hotels and a 47-day strike at Detroit casinos.