Union Cautions Travelers That Labor Disputes Are Ongoing at Hilton, Hyatt, and Marriott Hotels Across U.S.

San Diego, Calif. – Around 700 hotel workers at the Hilton San Diego Bayfront have decided to remain on an open-ended strike, and workers will be on the picket line until they win their contract.

Over 9,500 hotel workers who struck other Hilton, Hyatt, and Marriott hotels over the Labor Day weekend are back on the job, but the UNITE HERE union warned travelers that the labor dispute is ongoing in all of these cities. Continued picketing and other disruptions are possible. Guests should 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.

Labor Day saw over 10,000 workers on strike after hotel workers walked off the job at 25 hotels in nine cities: Baltimore, Boston, Greenwich, Honolulu, Kauai, San Diego, San Francisco, San Jose, and Seattle. After months of unresolved negotiations, the limited duration strikes lasted one to three days in each city. Strikes have also been authorized and could begin at any time in Baltimore, New Haven, Oakland, and Providence.

“I’m on strike because I don’t want hotels to become the next airline industry,” said Christian Carbajal, a market attendant who has worked for 15 years at the Hilton Bayfront in San Diego. “I used to work in room service, but after COVID, they closed my department. Now I work in the grab-and-go market. Guests complain to me that they can no longer get a steak delivered up to the room, and the tips aren’t what they used to be. I’m making less than I used to, and now two families share my house because we can’t afford the rent anymore. The hotels should respect our work and our guests.”

“Strike issues including raises, workloads, and COVID-era cuts have not been resolved, and workers are ready to do whatever it takes to win,” said Gwen Mills, International President of UNITE HERE. “During COVID, everyone suffered, but now the hotel industry is making record profits while workers and guests are left behind. Workers aren’t making enough to support their families, and many can no longer afford to live in the cities that they welcome guests to. Too many hotels still haven’t restored staffing or the services that guests deserve, like automatic daily housekeeping and room service, and painful workloads are breaking workers’ bodies. We won’t accept a ‘new normal’ where hotel companies profit by cutting their offerings to guests and abandoning their commitments to workers.”

The union urges guests not to eat, sleep, or meet at any hotel that is on strike or where workers have been on strike until they secure a new contract. During a strike, hotels may suspend services while trying to operate with skeleton staffing, and picket lines can run for up to 24 hours a day.

Workers are calling for higher wages, fair staffing and workloads, and the reversal of COVID-era cuts. They say their wages aren’t enough to cover the cost of living, and many have to work two jobs to make ends meet. The union says that many hotels took advantage of the COVID-19 pandemic to cut staffing and 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.

Room rates are at record highs, and the U.S. hotel industry made over $100 billion in gross operating profit in 2022. But hotel staffing per occupied room was down 13% from 2019 to 2022 as many hotels maintained COVID-era cuts, including understaffing, ending automatic daily housekeeping, and removing food and beverage options.

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