“Rare Strike” Cripples American Hotels

Around 10,000 hotel workers began a strike on Sunday across the United States, during the peak of a long weekend when millions of Americans are expected to travel for Labor Day, celebrated on the first Monday of September in the country.

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The strikes began in 25 hotels in eight cities, including Boston, San Francisco, and Honolulu. Workers are demanding higher wages and a return to pre-COVID-19 employment levels, according to “AFP.”

Hotels from the Hilton, Hyatt, and Sheraton chains were affected, with 5,000 workers on strike in Honolulu, Hawaii’s capital, affecting 10,557 rooms there, according to the union “UNITE HERE,” which called for the strikes.

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The union said in a statement that “many hotels took advantage of the COVID-19 pandemic to reduce staff and guest services that have not returned to previous levels, leading to job and income losses for workers.”

An AFP correspondent witnessed strikers organizing picket lines at several hotels in Boston, while a large gathering is planned for Monday.

Gwen Mills, president of the international union, said: “Now the hotel industry is making record profits while workers and guests are left behind. Many hotels no longer provide the services customers deserve, such as automatic daily cleaning and room service.”
She added that “workers are not earning enough to support their families.”

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Hyatt said in a statement that it was “disappointed that the ‘UNITE HERE’ union chose to strike, while Hyatt remains willing to negotiate.”

It added that it had “implemented contingency plans to minimize the impact on hotel operations.”

According to booking data from the “AAA” automobile group, domestic travel over the Labor Day weekend increased by 9% compared to last year.

About 17 million people plan to travel by Wednesday, according to the Transportation Security Administration.