NEW YORK — Thousands of hotel workers in several U.S. cities are staging a multi-day strike after contract negotiations with hotel operators Marriott International MAR.O , Hilton Worldwide HLT.N and Hyatt Hotels HN stalled, union Unite Here said Sunday.
Unite Here, a group representing hotel, casino and airport workers in the U.S. and Canada, said more than 4,000 workers are on strike in San Francisco and San Jose, California, Boston, Seattle and Greenwich, Connecticut, and that hotel workers in other cities are prepared to join them over the Labor Day holiday weekend.
With hotel workers and management unable to reach an agreement on wages or reversing pandemic-era cuts, the union said in a statement that “strikes have also been authorized in Baltimore, Honolulu, Kauai, New Haven, Oakland, Providence and San Diego and may begin at any time.”
Thousands of hotel workers plan to strike this Labor Day weekend as the industry faces an influx of travelers, with domestic travel up 9% compared to last year, according to AAA booking data.
Hyatt said in a statement that it was disappointed with the union's decision to strike. “We look forward to continuing to negotiate a fair contract and recognizing the contributions of Hyatt employees,” said Michael D'Angelo, Hyatt's labor relations director.
Hyatt said it has contingency plans in place to minimize the impact of a potential strike on hotel operations.
Marriott and Hilton did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comment.
The strike comes as 40,000 Unite Here hotel workers across 20 cities face contracts expiring this year, with around 15,000 of them authorising the strike in 12 markets. Negotiations for a new four-year contract have been underway since May.
“We cannot accept a 'new normal' where hotel companies profit by cutting services to guests and abandoning promises to employees,” said Gwen Mills, president of Unity Here, calling for better terms.
The union is calling on travelers to cancel hotel reservations if workers are striking and demand refunds without penalty.
In 2023, Unite Here workers won record contracts after consecutive strikes in Los Angeles and a 47-day strike in Detroit.
