Thousands of workers represented by the UNITE HERE union walked off the job Sunday at 25 hotels in eight cities, including Honolulu, Boston, and San Francisco.
With up to 17 rooms to clean each shift, Fatima Amahmoud’s job at the Moxy hotel in downtown Boston sometimes feels impossible.
Unionized housekeepers have waged a fierce fight to restore automatic daily room cleaning at major hotel chains, citing unmanageable workloads and a decline in income.
The dispute highlights the frustration over working conditions among hotel workers, who have faced staffing shortages and evolving travel trends post-pandemic.
10,000 hotel workers walked off the job in various cities Sunday, demanding higher wages and a reversal of service and staffing cuts.
UNITE HERE President Gwen Mills sees the contract negotiations as part of a long-standing battle for fair compensation for service workers, particularly women and people of color.
The recent success of UNITE HERE in southern California has fueled hopes for better wage hikes and working conditions for hotel workers across the nation.
The American Hotel And Lodging Association reports staffing shortages in 80% of member hotels, with housekeeping as a critical hiring need.
As hotels struggle to attract workers, hotel employees like Maria Mata and Nely Reinante share their challenges with erratic schedules and low pay.
The U.S. hotel industry has rebounded post-pandemic, but the battle over daily room cleaning continues between workers and hotels.
Workers like Chandra Anderson hope for improved contracts to address issues like low pay and irregular hours that have impacted their livelihoods.
UNITE HERE Local 7 in Baltimore is pushing for improved hourly wages and benefits to bring hotel workers up to par with industry standards in other cities.
