STRIKING HOTEL WORKERS in Greenwich, Connecticut, and Providence, Rhode Island, recently ratified union contracts that include wage increases and healthcare. These contracts at the Hyatt Regency Greenwich and Omni Providence Hotel are the first in ongoing national disputes between the hotel workers’ union UNITE HERE and Hilton, Hyatt, Marriott, and Omni.
The union celebrated the contract settlements but cautioned that ongoing strikes across the U.S. are expected to escalate before labor disputes are resolved.
“These first contracts encourage hotel workers in other cities as strikes continue,” said Gwen Mills, UNITE HERE’s international president. “Hotel workers in Honolulu, San Diego, and San Francisco will strike as long as it takes to secure what they need, and more strikes are possible. We’re in this for the long haul, and we urge travelers to prepare for potential widespread disruptions.”
Last year, UNITE HERE members secured record contracts following rolling strikes at Los Angeles hotels and a 47-day strike at Detroit casinos. Staff at the Hyatt Regency Greenwich were among 10,000 workers nationwide who went on strike over Labor Day weekend, while workers at the Omni Providence Hotel voted overwhelmingly to authorize a strike on Aug. 7.
Currently, around 4,000 hotel workers are on strike in Honolulu, San Diego and San Francisco, with more strikes possible in Baltimore, Boston, Kauai, Oakland, Sacramento, San Jose, San Mateo County and Seattle, according to UNITE HERE, the union representing hotel, casino and airport workers across the U.S. and Canada.
“My co-workers and I put a lot of work into this fight,” said George Cook, a banquet attendant at the Omni Providence Hotel. “We were ready to do whatever it took to win. I’m happy that we secured the best contract we’ve ever had, with wage increases that will help us pay our rent and support our families.”
“With the pay raise, I will no longer have to work two to three jobs at a time, seven days a week,” said Shakira Abad Payano, a housekeeping room inspector at the Omni Providence. “I can spend more time with my children, and we can go on vacation every year.”
Workers in the UNITE HERE union, including housekeepers, front desk agents, cooks, dishwashers, servers, bartenders, bellhops, and doormen, are demanding higher wages, fair staffing and workloads, and the reversal of COVID-era cuts.
The union stated that hotel room rates are at record highs and that the U.S. hotel industry generated over $100 billion in gross operating profit in 2022. However, hotel workers report their wages are insufficient to support their families, forcing many to take on multiple jobs to make ends meet.
The UNITE HERE union also claimed many hotels exploited the pandemic to cut staffing and services like automatic daily housekeeping and room service. Staffing per occupied room decreased by 13 percent from 2019 to 2022 as many hotels retained COVID-era cuts, resulting in job and income loss for some workers while increasing workloads caused pain and stress for others.
The union urged guests not to eat, sleep or meet at any hotel on strike.
Dozens of striking hotel workers arrived in Washington on Sept. 23 to urge Congress to act against resort fees, which they argue, along with COVID-era service cuts, undermine the hospitality guests expect.
