Source: AFP
About 10,000 hotel workers went on strike across the United States on Sunday, at the height of a long holiday weekend in which millions of Americans were expected to travel.
Strikes have begun at 25 hotels in eight cities, including Boston, San Francisco and Honolulu, as workers demand improved pay and a return to pre-coronavirus staffing levels.
Hotels from the Hilton, Hyatt and Sheraton chains were hit with 5,000 workers walking out in Hawaii’s capital Honolulu alone, affecting 10,557 rooms there, according to the UNITE HERE union which has called for strikes.
The union said in a statement “that many hotels took advantage of the Covid-19 pandemic to reduce staff and guest services that were never restored, resulting in workers losing jobs and income.”
Strikers were queuing at several hotels in Boston, an AFP correspondent said, and a rally was planned for Monday.
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“Now the hotel industry is reaping record profits while workers and guests are left behind. Too many hotels have yet to restore standard services that guests deserve, such as automated daily housekeeping and room service,” added union international president Gwen Mills .
“Workers are not making enough to support their families.”
Hyatt said in a statement that it is “disappointed that UNITE HERE has chosen to strike while Hyatt remains willing to negotiate.
It said it had “emergency plans in place to minimize the impact on hotel operations”.
According to bookings data from the auto group AAA, total domestic travel over the Labor Day holiday weekend was up 9% compared to last year.
Up to 17 million passengers planned to fly by Wednesday, the US Transportation Security Administration said in a statement.
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Hilton and Marriott did not respond to requests for comment.
Source: AFP
