Why Are Hotel Workers on Strike Right Now?

Hotel labor unions took the annual celebration of workers’ rights to heart as more than 10,000 hotel employees walked off the job during the long Labor Day weekend, with strikes still ongoing as of Tuesday, September 3.

As of press time, approximately 9,376 workers are still on strike in Boston; Greenwich, Connecticut; Honolulu and Kaua‘i in Hawai‘i; and San Diego, San Francisco, and San Jose, California. The walkouts are taking place at more than two dozen Hilton, Hyatt, and Marriott properties.

The hotel workers who have walked off the job are part of the UNITE HERE labor union, which represents 300,000 workers in Canada and the United States employed in the hospitality, gaming, and transportation sectors.

The strikes began on Sunday morning and are scheduled to end on Tuesday, September 3. But, with additional negotiations expected later this week, it’s unclear whether there could be more walkouts if negotiations fail.

Why are hotel workers striking?

The striking hotel employees are demanding higher pay, for one, but they also argue that staffing levels following the COVID pandemic–era layoffs are unsustainable—numerous hotels simply never staffed back up to pre-pandemic levels, they claim. “Many hotels took advantage of the COVID-19 pandemic to cut staffing and guest services that were never restored … creating painful working conditions for those who carry the increased workload,” UNITE HERE said in a statement about the strikes.

“I’m on strike because I need more wages, I need the health insurance, and I need less rooms,” Rebeca Laroque, who has worked as a housekeeper at the Hyatt Regency Greenwich for 12 years, said in a media release issued by UNITE HERE. “I work so hard and come home exhausted at the end of the day, but I still don’t make enough money to pay my bills.”

Gwen Mills, international president of UNITE HERE, stated in a release that “during COVID, everyone suffered, but now the hotel industry is making record profits while workers and guests are left behind.” According to Mills, far too many hotels still haven’t restored “standard services that guests deserve,” such as daily housekeeping (versus housekeeping on demand) and in-room dining service.

“Workers aren’t making enough to support their families. Many can no longer afford to live in the cities that they welcome guests to, and painful workloads are breaking their bodies,” Mills added.

Consequently, they are hoping to negotiate better pay and work standards with hotels. Below is a list of the hotels that have been affected by the strikes.

If you have an upcoming reservation at any of these specific hotels, or at other Hilton, Hyatt, or Marriott properties in these destinations, you can monitor developments by using UNITE HERE’s Labor Dispute Map, which allows users to search hotels by name or city to learn whether a strike is taking place. While hotels have said that they are continuing operations during the strikes, there have been reports of guests experiencing fewer services during the strikes, such as reduced housekeeping and food and beverage services.

Last year, UNITE HERE workers negotiated new contracts after a series of strikes in Los Angeles and Detroit.

Hotels that experienced Labor Day 2024 hotel worker strikes

Baltimore

• Hilton Baltimore Inner Harbor

Boston

• Fairmont Copley Plaza
• Hampton Inn & Homewood Suites by Hilton
• Hilton Boston Logan Airport
• Hilton Boston Park Plaza
• Hyatt Place Boston/Seaport District

Greenwich, Connecticut

Honolulu

• Hilton Hawaiian Village
• Hyatt Regency Waikiki Beach
• The Royal Hawaiian (Marriott Luxury Collection)
• Sheraton Princess Kaiulani (Marriott)
• Sheraton Waikiki (Marriott)
• Waikiki Beach Marriott
• Westin Moana Surfrider (Marriott)

Kaua‘i

• Sheraton Kaua‘i Resort (Marriott)

San Diego

• Hilton San Diego Bayfront

San Francisco

• Grand Hyatt at SFO
• Grand Hyatt San Francisco Union Square
• Hilton San Francisco Union Square
• Palace Hotel (Marriott Luxury Collection)
• Westin St. Francis (Marriott)

San Jose

• DoubleTree by Hilton San Jose
• Signia by Hilton San Jose

Seattle

• DoubleTree by Hilton Seattle Airport
• Hilton Seattle Airport & Conference Center
• Westin Seattle (Marriott)

Strikes in Baltimore and Seattle had concluded as of press time, according to UNITE HERE.