myGrilloCOM | Hotel labor strikes continue in major US cities

The Points Guy

Nearly two months of labor strikes have occurred at hotels in some of the top destinations in the U.S., but some properties are finally reaching a deal with employees.

More than 4,000 combined workers have been on strike at hotels affiliated with Marriott, Hyatt and Hilton in Boston, Honolulu and San Francisco. While earlier strikes were shorter multiday protests, most of the ongoing ones are indefinite, with workers saying they will continue to strike until they get a new contract.

Around the country, local Unite Here chapters representing hotel workers — including housekeepers, front desk agents, cooks, dishwashers, servers, bartenders, bellhops and door attendants — have been negotiating for higher wages, better working conditions and more employee protections. Many hotel labor contracts expired Aug. 31.

The good news is that nearly 700 workers at two Omni-affiliated properties in Boston landed a new labor contract with raises and affordable health care benefits, Unite Here reports. However, more than 600 Hilton workers remain on strike in the New England city.

Hotels with indefinite strikes include the Hilton Boston Logan Airport and the Hilton Boston Park Plaza. In Honolulu, workers are indefinitely on strike at the Hilton Hawaiian Village Waikiki Beach Resort. In San Francisco, indefinite hotel worker strikes are currently underway at the Grand Hyatt San Francisco, the Hilton San Francisco Union Square and The Westin St. Francis San Francisco on Union Square. More than 300 workers at the Palace Hotel, a Luxury Collection Hotel, San Francisco — affiliated with Marriott — walked off the job last weekend to start their own indefinite strike.

“Hotel workers are on the move, and we’re not stopping anytime soon,” Gwen Mills, international president of Unite Here, said in a statement. “Our members believe that hotel jobs should be genuinely good, family-sustaining jobs that don’t break your body and that enable you to live with dignity. Our recent contract settlements prove that that’s possible, and strikes will continue until we all win.”

Spokespeople for major brands like Hilton and Hyatt previously told TPG that there are contingency plans in place to minimize disruptions during a strike. But Unite Here warns guests that services will likely be suspended while hotels operate with skeleton staffing.

Picket lines will run outside the affected hotels for up to 24 hours each day, and hotels may suspend some services while operating with a limited staff. If you have an upcoming trip to one of the affected hotels, call ahead of your arrival at your hotel to see if strikes have an impact on operations.

Along with the new labor contracts at the pair of Omni hotels in Boston, workers at the Hilton San Diego Bayfront ratified a new labor deal with the hotel earlier this month after nearly 40 days of strikes. Hopefully, other labor deals will follow suit elsewhere in the country.