(VitalNews.org) – Over ten thousand United States hotel workers went on strike Sunday for the mission of improved pay and conditions. This strike could potentially disrupt many Labor Day weekend activities for holiday travelers.
Thousands of workers walked off the job at hotels in cities including Honolulu, Boston, Seattle, Greenwich, and Kauai. They also walked out in San Francisco, San Diego, and San Jose after contracts with the owners of the hotels collapsed.
The Unite Here Union has already warned that workers in other cities were ready to join in on the strike. “Strikes have also been authorized and could begin at any time,” a union statement said.
Hotel staff are looking for wage increases and the reversal of job cuts that were made during the COVID pandemic.
Unite Here’s international president, Gwen Mills, said, “The hotel industry has rebounded from the pandemic, and room rates are at record highs.” She continued, “But hotel workers can’t afford to live in the cities that they welcome guests to. Too many hotel workers have to work two or sometimes three jobs in order to make ends meet.”
The union stated that the strike has impacted twenty four hotels in eight different cities so far. The strike was expected to take place on the busiest Labor Day weekend recorded, according to Transport Security Administration forecasts.
Unite Here is accusing the hotel industry of using cutbacks that were triggered by the pandemic to permanently cut staff and reduce guest services. The strike is scheduled to last three days and is a result of months of discussions between workers and the Hilton, Marriott, Hyatt, and Omni hotel chains.
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