Thousands of Hotel Workers in Twelve Destinations Vote to Strike Over Wages, COVID-Era Staffing and Service Cuts; “We Don’t Want Hotels to Become the Next Airline Industry,” Union Says

UPDATED AUGUST 29, 2024

Thousands of hotel workers in twelve cities across the U.S. have authorized strikes at Hilton, Hyatt, Marriott, and Omni hotel properties that are locked in unresolved contract negotiations. Hotel workers with the UNITE HERE union voted overwhelmingly in favor of authorizing strikes in Baltimore, Boston, Honolulu, Greenwich, Kauai, New Haven, Oakland, Providence, San Diego, San Francisco, San Jose, and Seattle. Strikes may occur any time following the expiration of contracts. Contracts in some cities have already expired, while the rest expire by the end of the month.

Workers are calling for higher wages, fair staffing and workloads, and the reversal of COVID-era cuts. The union says that too many hotels took advantage of the pandemic by cutting staffing and suspending guest services that were never restored, causing workers to lose jobs and income – and creating painful working conditions for those who carry the increased workload.

“My job was always painful, but now it’s even worse,” said Consuelo Escorcia, a lobby attendant at the Marriott Marquis in San Francisco, where workers voted to authorize a strike by 94% of voting members. “They used to staff six of us to clean the lobby and public bathrooms on each shift, but since COVID, we have only two or three. I’ve sacrificed so much for this job over the years. I had to have four surgeries in my hand and shoulder. But in return, the hotel has only made my job harder.”

“I am ready to strike for wages that allow me to me to take care of my family and proper staffing that allows me to take care of guests,” said Carlo Bermudez, a server at the Hilton Hawaiian Village in Honolulu, where workers voted to authorize a strike by 94% of voting members. “I love my job, and I love my family, so I’ll do whatever it takes to protect them both.”

“This is the first time in history that hotel workers in so many cities have voted to authorize strikes that could hit the hotel industry all at the same time,” said Gwen Mills, International President of UNITE HERE. “Hotel workers are preparing for huge, historic potential strikes because we don’t want hotels to become the next airline industry – where guests pay more and get less while workers are left behind. The hotel industry is making massive profits by throwing workers under the bus – with wages that aren’t enough to cover the cost of living and staffing cuts that have made hotel jobs more painful than ever. Workers are fed up with the hotels, and we’re ready to make them pay.”

The U.S. hotel industry made over $100 billion in gross operating profit in 2022, and hotel executives at Hilton, Hyatt, and Marriott took home $596 million in total pay between 2020 and 2023. Meanwhile, U.S. hotel staffing per occupied room was down 13% from 2019 to 2022 as many hotels nationwide have kept COVID-era service cuts in place, including understaffing, ending automatic daily housekeeping, removing food and beverage options, and more.

Last year, UNITE HERE members won record contracts after rolling strikes at Los Angeles hotels and a 47-day strike at Detroit casinos.