Baltimore hotel workers are joining a massive nationwide strike against three major hotel chains during one of the biggest travel holidays of the year.
Unite Here, the union representing hotel workers, said approximately 200 hotel workers walked off the job in Baltimore at the Hilton Inner Harbor this morning.
Hotel union workers are now on strike at hotels across 9 US cities.
As many as 10,200 hotel workers at 25 hotels stretching from Boston to the West Coast to Hawaii went on strike starting early Sunday morning.
“Going on strike is hard, but not nearly as hard as trying to get by on what we are getting paid.
We are on strike to make them pay.” Workers say they want higher pay, better conditions and more staff to help.
The union says the travel and hotel industries have recovered from the pandemic but worker salaries have not reflected the comeback.
“We’re on strike because the hotel industry has gotten off track,” Gwen Mills, International President of Unite Here, said in a statement Sunday morning.
“During Covid, everyone suffered, but now the hotel industry is making record profits while workers and guests are left behind.
Many can no longer afford to live in the cities that they welcome guests to.” The hotel chains facing striking workers include Hilton, Hyatt and Marriott.
During one of the busiest travel seasons of the year, hotel employees in Baltimore are joining a nationwide strike against three major hotel chains.
About 200 hotel employees at the Hilton Inner Harbor in Baltimore this morning, according to Unite Here, the union that represents hotel employees, walked off the job.
There is currently a walkout by hotel union employees in nine US cities. Starting early on Sunday morning, up to 10,200 hotel employees at 25 hotels spanning from Boston to the West Coast and Hawaii went on strike. However, 840 returned to work on Tuesday as scheduled.
Dishwasher Jerome Roberts of the Hilton Baltimore Inner Harbor said in a statement, “I walked out today because we just cannot keep working paycheck to paycheck, not able to pay our bills.”. Striking is difficult, but not nearly as difficult as attempting to survive on the money we are paid. The bosses were unaware of our current struggles when we brought it up during our negotiations. For them to pay, we are going on strike. “.
Employees claim they want better working conditions, greater pay, and additional assistance. Many of the hotel cuts made during the pandemic, including daily room cleaning, are being demanded to be restored by the union. According to the union, industry recovery from the pandemic has not been reflected in worker salaries, despite the travel and hotel sectors having recovered.
Although the hotels are apparently still open, visitors must deal with a staff that is understaffed and unable to offer full services.
In a statement released early on Sunday morning, Gwen Mills, the International President of Unite Here, stated, “We’re on strike because the hotel industry has gotten off track.”. “Everyone suffered during COVID, but the hotel industry is now experiencing record profits at the expense of employees and visitors.”. The standard services that guests are entitled to have not yet been reinstated in far too many hotels. Employees aren’t earning enough money to sustain their families. Many of them can no longer afford to live in the cities where they greet visitors. “.
Marriott, Hilton, and Hyatt are among the hotel chains that are dealing with striking employees. According to the union, the hotels are spread across 21,776 rooms in the following cities: Honolulu and Kauai in Hawaii; Baltimore; Boston; San Diego; San Francisco; San Jose; and Greenwich, Connecticut.
In addition to hotels in Oakland, California, Providence, Rhode Island, and New Haven, Connecticut, the union is threatening to extend the strike to as many as 65 hotels across 12 different cities. Speaking with CNN on Friday, representatives from Hilton and Hyatt said that while they remain dedicated to working with the union to reach agreements, they will also keep providing service to patrons during any workplace stoppage.
Delighted by the union’s decision to go on strike, Hyatt stated in a statement. Michael D’Angelo, Hyatt’s head of labor relations, stated, “We look forward to continuing to negotiate fair contracts and recognize the contributions of Hyatt employees.”.
Over the Fourth of July weekend in 2016, 15,000 workers from the same union went on strike at 65 hotels in Southern California’s Orange and Los Angeles counties. After resuming work a few days later, they went on to stage a number of rolling strikes in the months that followed, sometimes coinciding with popular travel times like the weekend of Taylor Swift concerts in Los Angeles.
It will be the last three days of strikes.
