Members of the Unite Here union say their salaries often no longer cover living expenses and “many are having to take on second jobs to make ends meet”.
Some 10,000 hotel workers began a strike in several US cities on Sunday to demand higher wages and more hiring.
According to the Unite Here union, which operates in the service economy, some 10,016 of its members have suspended work at 25 establishments of the Hilton, Hyatt and Marriott groups.
Boston, San Francisco and Honolulu were the hardest hit, but eight cities were affected in total, according to Unite Here, while hotel workers in four other cities are considering joining the movement.
The work stoppages are expected to last two to three days, the union said in a statement. They come in the middle of the long Labor Day holiday weekend in the United States, one of the busiest of the year for the tourism industry.
According to Unite Here, the hospitality industry has “taken advantage” of the Covid-19 pandemic to reduce its workforce, without fully rebuilding it once health restrictions are lifted.
“A second job to make ends meet”
Members of the organisation also argue that their salaries often no longer allow them to cover living expenses and that “many have to take on a second job to make ends meet”.
They point out that, at the same time, the hotel sector has fully recovered from the Covid-19 crisis. In 2023, the average price of a hotel room in the United States reached $156 per night on average, an absolute record, according to the STR consultancy. The average revenue per room was also higher than ever, according to the same source.
In recent months, several establishments have concluded new company agreements with their employees, but negotiations have not been successful in many other cases.
“We are disappointed that Unite Here has chosen to strike while Hyatt remains willing to negotiate,” Michael D’Angelo, head of labor relations at the hotel group in the United States, told AFP.
“We are committed to continuing to negotiate fair agreements and recognize the contributions of Hyatt employees,” he added. The representative said the group had taken steps to “minimize the impact of a strike on its operations.”
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