Over 10,000 U.S. Hotel Workers Strike on Labor Day Weekend

The Labor Day holiday weekend in the United States has been disrupted by a wave of strikes involving more than 10,000 hotel workers across the country. The strikes are the result of stalled contract negotiations between the Unite Here union and major hotel operators, including Marriott, Hilton, and Hyatt.

The strikes involve workers from 24 hotels in several major travel destinations, including San Francisco, San Diego, Honolulu, Boston, Seattle, and Greenwich, Connecticut.

The Unite Here union, which represents workers in hotels, casinos, and airports across the U.S. and Canada, has authorized strikes in 12 markets, with around 15,000 workers facing expiring contracts this year.

Hotel workers are demanding higher wages, improved working conditions, and the reversal of pandemic-era job cuts that have led to increased workloads and stress.

The strikes come at a time when the hospitality industry is facing a 9% increase in Labor Day weekend domestic travel compared to last year, according to AAA booking data. The union has urged travelers to cancel their hotel stays if the workers are on strike and to demand penalty-free refunds.