Labor Day Hotel Strikes: Thousands Demand Fair Wages and Respect in the Hospitality Industry

Over 10,000 hotel workers from 25 hotels across the United States went on strike this Labor Day weekend. These workers, mainly women of color, are calling for higher wages, fair workloads, and the reversal of cuts made during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The UNITE HERE union, which represents these hospitality workers, announced that 200 workers at the Hilton Baltimore Inner Harbor were among the latest to join the strike.

Nearly half of the striking workers, around 5,000, are in Honolulu. Briana Canencia, a food server at a Marriott hotel for over 10 years, is one of them. She is fighting not only for better pay but also for respect, as she faces reduced hours and increased workloads.

Canencia, who is Native Hawaiian, works a second job to support her two children, yet they live paycheck-to-paycheck. She worries that her family may soon be "priced out of paradise."

"It’s crucial for me to raise my children here and connect them with their ancestral home because our roots are here," she said. "We deserve to stay here."

Thousands of other workers are also striking in Boston, San Francisco, Seattle, San Diego, and San Jose, California. The strikes, targeting Marriott, Hilton, and Hyatt hotels, are expected to last one to three days.

The UNITE HERE union reported that a total of 15,000 workers have authorized strikes, which could spread to other cities like New Haven, Connecticut; Oakland, California; and Providence, Rhode Island.

Union President Gwen Mills highlighted that these strikes are part of a long-standing battle for fair compensation for service workers, comparable to what is offered in male-dominated industries.

“Hospitality work is often undervalued, and it’s no coincidence that most of the workers are women and people of color,” Mills said.

Alma Navarro, 60, has worked as a banquet server in San Jose for more than half her life. Although her body moves slower now, she was not afraid to join the strike this weekend.

“To be honest, it wasn’t hard because I know we need change,” she said. Navarro, who works at a Hilton hotel, is pushing for better healthcare, a living wage, and higher contributions to her pension.

Without these improvements, Navarro fears she won’t be able to retire or even visit a doctor when needed. If she doesn’t work at least 80 hours a month, she loses her health insurance.

“Whenever I don’t have coverage,” she said, “I just pray to God that I don’t get sick that month.”

Unionized housekeepers are also demanding the reinstatement of automatic daily room cleaning at major hotels, arguing that they’ve been overwhelmed with unmanageable workloads, fewer hours, and lower income. Many hotels reduced services during the pandemic and have not restored them.

However, hotels claim that guests no longer request daily room cleaning and other services.

Hyatt and Hilton both stated they have plans in place to minimize the impact of the strikes at their hotels. Marriott did not respond to requests for comment.

Michael D’Angelo, head of labor relations for Hyatt in the Americas, expressed disappointment that UNITE HERE chose to strike while Hyatt remains willing to negotiate.

“We look forward to continuing negotiations to reach fair contracts and recognize the contributions of our employees,” D’Angelo said.

Hilton also expressed commitment to negotiating in good faith to reach agreements that benefit both employees and hotels.

UNITE HERE is aiming to replicate its recent success in Southern California, where repeated strikes led to significant wage increases, better pension contributions, and fair workload guarantees at 34 hotels. Under this new contract, housekeepers at most hotels will earn $35 an hour by July 2027.

These victories come after the Culinary Workers Union, a UNITE HERE affiliate in Nevada, secured what they called the "best contracts ever" for tens of thousands of hotel and casino workers on the Las Vegas Strip. This contract includes a 32% pay increase over five years, reduced housekeeping workloads, and improved job security amidst advances in technology and artificial intelligence.