Holiday disruption at US hotels as 10,000 workers strike

[September 03, 2024]  By Andrew Hay
 
(Reuters) - Dozens of U.S. hotels faced disruptions during Monday's busy Labor Day public holiday as over 10,000 workers went on strike after contract talks stalled, employees and the Unite Here union said.  

Wearing red shirts and banging buckets, Unite Here members picketed outside Hilton Worldwide, Hyatt Hotels and Marriott International locations from Honolulu, Hawaii to Boston, Massachusetts, to demand higher pay.

Hotel workers represented by the Unite Here union take part in a strike near Hyatt Regency, amid a multi-day strike in several cities after contract talks with hotel operators Marriott International, Hilton Worldwide and Hyatt Hotels reached an impasse, in Greenwich, Connecticut, U.S., September 1, 2024, in this handout image. Local 217 - UNITE HERE/Handout via REUTERS

The strike is occurring as the industry sees a 9% increase in Labor Day weekend domestic travel from last year, according to American Automobile Association booking data.

In calls to hotels in Hawaii, Boston and San Jose, California, front-desk staff said services such as restaurants and housekeeping were disrupted due to worker shortages on the strike's second day.

"The hotel is open but it's very limited workers," said an employee at the Hyatt Regency Waikiki Beach in Honolulu, asking that her name not be used as she was not authorized to speak to press.

Hyatt has contingency plans to minimize the impact on operations related to strike activity, Michael D'Angelo, head of labor relations at the hotel chain said in a statement.

Hilton and Hyatt said they remain committed to negotiating a fair agreement with the union.

Marriott did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Unite Here said workers were on strike at 25 hotels in nine U.S. cities, with the stoppage set to last up to three days.

"Hotel workers across the U.S. are celebrating Labor Day by fighting for raises, fair workloads, and the reversal of COVID-era service and staffing cuts,” Unite Here International President Gwen Mills said in a statement.

Workers say wages do not cover living costs and hotels have not restored staffing levels slashed during the COVID-19 pandemic, the statement said.

Unite Here members won record contracts last year after rolling strikes in Los Angeles and a 47-day strike at Detroit casinos, according to the union which represents hotel, casino and airport workers in the United States and Canada.

(Reporting By Andrew Hay, editing by Donna Bryson and Aurora Ellis)

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