2024-09-02 02:31:30
Amid a three-day holiday, about 10,000 hotel workers went on strike in several US cities today to demand wage increases and hiring.
According to the Unite Here union, around 10,016 of its members took part in the strike in 25 facilities of the hotel giants Hilton, Hyatt and Marriott.
The largest participation of hotel workers in the strike was recorded at hotels in Boston, San Francisco and Honolulu, for a total of eight cities, according to Unite Here, while xlaborers in four other cities are considering joining strike action.
The strikes are expected to last two to three days, the union said in a statement.
The strike action comes amid a three-day holiday in the country, as the weekend is followed by the federal Labor Day holiday in the US (which is celebrated tomorrow, September 2). This three-day period is very profitable for the tourism industry.
“They took advantage of the pandemic to reduce the workforce”
According to Unite Here, the hotel industry has “taken advantage” of the Covid-19 pandemic to reduce the workforce, without fully replacing it after the lifting of health restrictions.
Union members also support that their wages often no longer allow them to cover their current expenses and that “many are forced to take up second jobs to make ends meet.”
At the same time, they emphasize the hotel industry has fully recovered from the Covid-19 crisis.
$156 per night, the average price
In 2023, the average price of a hotel room in the US reached $156 per night on average, a record, according to STR.
Average revenue per room was also higher than ever, according to the same source.
In recent months, many companies have concluded new contracts with their employees, but negotiations between employers and employees have not resulted in agreements in many other cases.
“We are disappointed that Unite Here has chosen to go on strike while Hyatt remains willing to negotiate,” Michael D’Angelo, head of labor relations at the hotel group in the US, told AFP.
“We want to continue to negotiate fair deals and recognize the contributions of Hyatt employees,” he added.
The spokesman stressed that the hotel group had taken steps to “minimize the impact of a strike on its business”.
Source: AMPE