"Make them pay!"

US hotel industry: 10,000 walk off the job

Following the failure of wage negotiations with hotel operators Marriott, Hilton and Hyatt, around 10,000 hotel employees in several major cities in the USA have walked off the job.

The union is demanding better working conditions and higher wages and warned that the strike could spread to other cities. Hilton and Hyatt emphasized their willingness to negotiate fairly.

"Since coronavirus, they expect us to deliver five-star service with a three-star workforce," the Unite Here union said on Sunday. This affects 24 hotels in popular travel destinations such as San Francisco, San Diego, Honolulu, Boston and Seattle.

Marriott did not initially respond to a request for comment
The strike comes at a time of increased travel during Labor Day weekend. The union says hotel workers are overworked because management often assigns three employees to do the work of four, causing significant stress and shifting the focus from service to speed.

In Baltimore, hotel workers are fighting for an increase in the hourly wage from 16.20 to 20 dollars (approx. 18 euros), among other things. In Boston, where chambermaids earn 28 dollars an hour, the union is demanding an increase of ten dollars an hour within four years.