Honolulu – Around 10,000 employees in the US hotel industry went on strike for more money and better conditions on the extended travel weekend on the occasion of Labor Day. According to the union Unite Here, 24 hotels in eight cities have been on strike since Sunday – including Boston, Seattle and San Francisco. The hotel chains affected include Hilton, Marriott and Hyatt.
Many of the employees have to work two jobs at the same time to make ends meet, Unite Here said. One salary is not enough to cover living expenses. Months of negotiations with the employers have not produced any results, the union criticized.
Industrial action to last until Tuesday
Mary Taboniar, who works as a cleaner at a Hilton hotel on the holiday island of Hawaii, said the union said she lives on subsistence level and is never sure if she will be able to pay for rent, living expenses or her family’s health care. She is therefore dependent on a second job, the single mother said in a statement from Unite Here.
Michael D’Angelo, a senior executive at the Hyatt chain, told the New York Times that they were disappointed that employees had decided to strike, but were still willing to negotiate. His company has contingency plans to mitigate the effects. The industrial action is expected to last until Tuesday in most cities.
