San Francisco Hotel Workers Vote 'Yes' to Potential Strike

Thousands of San Francisco hotel workers authorized their union on Friday to call a strike as early as next week, joining other industry employees in several cities who also approved potential walkouts as contract negotiations with large employers have yet to produce a deal.

The hospitality union Unite Here could hold a work stoppage after Aug. 14, when contracts covering 3,000 employees at eight Marriott, Hyatt and Hilton hotels in downtown San Francisco expire. The strike authorization vote passed with 94% support, according to the union, which represents housekeepers, bellmen, dishwashers, bartenders and other workers.

Lizzy Tapia, president of Unite Here Local 2, said the union and the hotels remain far apart in negotiations on increases in wages and staffing levels, which the union argues management keeps too low, even when there is a surge of guests.

According to Tapia, large hotel corporations are taking advantage of COVID-era staffing cuts to squeeze workers for profit. She pointed to union estimates showing the U.S. hotel industry’s gross operating profit was 27% higher in 2022 than in 2019, while staffing per occupied room was down 13%.

“Hotel workers are tired of wages that don’t actually cover the cost of living and painful workloads that leave us exhausted at the end of the day,” Tapia said in a statement. “This overwhelming strike vote demonstrates hotel workers’ strong resolve to get the respect they deserve. We’re ready to strike if that’s what it takes.”

Workers in Honolulu, Boston and other cities have overwhelmingly voted yes to potential strikes, according to Unite Here. Strike authorization elections are also expected in San José, San Diego, Seattle and Baltimore. Overall, about 10,000 workers in nine cities could walk off the job in the coming months.

Marriott, Hilton and Hyatt did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Michael D’Angelo, who leads Hyatt’s labor relations in the Americas, told KQED earlier this week that the company’s hotels continue to offer employees competitive wages and benefits, including comprehensive healthcare coverage.

“We recognize the contributions of our employees and respect their right to voice their opinions,” D’Angelo said in a statement. “Our colleagues are the heart of our business, and their wellbeing is always a top priority.”

San Francisco’s hotel industry, which relies heavily on business travel and conventions, is still struggling to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, even as tourism in other cities rebounded. Hotel occupancy rates remain lower than in 2019. The hotel tax revenue collected for the 2022–2023 fiscal year was just over two-thirds of the $414 million collected in 2018–19, according to Ted Egan, San Francisco’s chief economist.

The drop in visitors has led to fewer shifts for workers and some hotel closures, according to Alex Bastian, president and CEO of the Hotel Council of San Francisco, an industry trade group not involved in the contract negotiations.

Consuelo Escorcia said she must work faster and harder because management has cut the number of other lobby attendants on her shift. Escorcia, 60, worries the strain could aggravate work-related injuries she’s suffered in her hand and shoulder.

“I’m working in pain,” said Escorcia, who has cleaned lobby bathrooms and trash cans at the San Francisco Marriott Marquis for 35 years. “The hotel has made my job harder, and I’m ready to fight for my respect and a fair workload.”

Elena Duran, who is a server at the Palace Hotel and a member of the union’s negotiating committee, said, “I think every person on a regular basis are struggling to bring food to the table to pay rent, and we are just asking for a fair wages increase.”

Last year, Unite Here reached deals with dozens of hotels in Southern California after months of large, intermittent strikes. The workers won higher wages and better benefits, the union said.