Widespread Strikes Continue as Hotel Workers Settle Contracts in Baltimore and Sacramento
Two months after hotel strikes in major U.S. travel destinations began, the hotel workers union UNITE HERE has launched a new website for guests to share their experiences at striking hotels. HotelStrikeReviews.org allows visitors to leave reviews about stays or interactions with Hilton, Hyatt and Marriott hotels where workers are on strike. The website also cross-posts strike-related reviews from Tripadvisor, Yelp, Google, and other leading travel review sites.
Over 4,400 workers remain on strike in San Francisco, Honolulu, and Boston. After one-day strikes in Baltimore and Sacramento, hotel workers at the Hilton Baltimore Inner Harbor have ratified a new union contract with significant wage increases and workplace protections, and hotel workers at the Sheraton Grand Sacramento Hotel will vote to ratify their new contract today.
“This is going to change our lives,” said Shantia DeVon, a barista at the Baltimore Hilton. “I won’t have to choose anymore between spending time with my grandson or running to food banks. I won’t have to wonder every day if maybe I need to take a second job.”
“We went on strike and now I can’t wait to vote yes on this contract. It’ll mean I don’t have to live paycheck to paycheck, stressing over bills,” said Jenny Amaya, a housekeeper at the Sheraton Grand Sacramento. “I will have affordable health insurance, which for me means a lot. And now I’ll be able to save a little and actually afford to take a vacation.”
More strikes are possible across the U.S., and the union has called on hotels to notify guests if they are booked at a hotel where workers are on strike. Guests arriving at Hilton, Hyatt, and Marriott hotels in the last eight weeks report they were not notified of raucous picket lines or unavailable services.
Guests have experienced extensive 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. At the Hilton Hawaiian Village, guests in swimsuits held a protest in the hotel lobby to demand refunds.
“Hotel workers in city after city are winning what we need, and strikes will continue until everyone wins. But too many guests have told us they weren’t notified of strikes until check-in time – even in cases where strikes had started weeks earlier – and then had to take out their own trash, restock their own sheets and towels, and deal with closed food and beverage outlets,” said Gwen Mills, International President of UNITE HERE. “Hotel workers genuinely want to give guests the best possible service. Not only are we fighting for higher pay and fair workloads, but we are also demanding hotels reverse COVID-era cuts and put their focus back on hospitality.”
The union urges guests not to eat, sleep, or meet at any hotel that is on strike. Travelers 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 include housekeepers, front desk agents, cooks, dishwashers, servers, bartenders, bellhops, doormen, and more.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241028047954/en/
Contacts
Ted Waechter
twaechter@unitehere2.org
919-636-1124
