Posts tagged San Francisco
Union workers at Hawaii’s largest hotel go on strike
September 26, 2024 // Around 2,000 hotel workers went on strike Tuesday at the world’s largest Hilton hotel and the biggest hotel in Hawaii Unionized workers at Hilton Hawaiian Village Waikiki Beach Resort — the largest Hilton in the world — began an open-ended strike at 5 a.m. They are calling for conditions including higher wages, more manageable workloads and a reversal of cuts implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic such as limited daily room cleaning.
SFO Marriott Employees Request Labor Board Vote to Remove Unwanted UNITE-HERE Union Officials
September 24, 2024 // Employees of the San Francisco Airport Marriott Waterfront Hotel have requested an election to remove UNITE-HERE Local 2 union officials from their workplace. Hotel employee Erika Chavez just submitted a petition seeking such a vote to National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) Region 20 in San Francisco with free legal aid from the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation.
Politicians attend Labor Day breakfast outside Boston hotel join striking workers
September 3, 2024 // Almost 900 went on strike Sunday at Hilton Logan Airport, Hilton-Hampton Inn Boston Seaport, Fairmont Copley Plaza and Hilton Park Plaza. The picket line outside the Park Plaza forced organizers to relocate the Greater Boston Labor Council's Labor Day breakfast, an annual gathering of Democrats and union leaders. The breakfast was moved outdoors to Statler Park.
Strikes start at top hotel chains; housekeepers seek higher wages, daily room cleaning
September 2, 2024 // The union hopes to build on its recent success in southern California, where after repeated strikes it won significant wage hikes, increased employer contributions to pensions, and fair workload guarantees in a new contract with 34 hotels. Under the contract, housekeepers at most hotels will earn $35 an hour by July 2027. The American Hotel And Lodging Association says 80% of its member hotels report staffing shortages, and 50% cite housekeeping as their most critical hiring need. Kevin Carey, the association's interim president and CEO, says hotels are doing all they can to attract workers. According to the association's surveys, 86% of hoteliers have increased wages over the past six months, and many have offered more flexibility with hours or expanded benefits. The association says wages for hotel workers have risen 26% since the pandemic.
Hotel Workers’ Union UNITE HERE Releases Travelers’ Guide to Possible Strikes as Busy Labor Day Travel Weekend Approaches
August 25, 2024 // Hotel workers’ union UNITE HERE today published a guide of travel tips to help hotel guests plan for possible strikes across the United States. Thousands of hotel workers in nine cities have now authorized strikes at Hilton, Hyatt, Marriott, and Omni hotels, but hotels rarely notify guests of a strike, and travelers sometimes learn of a strike only upon arriving at their hotel and being met by a boisterous picket line. The union launched the travel guide ahead of Labor Day weekend, when millions of Americans are planning travel.
Hotel workers in 4 cities start voting today on whether to strike
August 8, 2024 // About 13,500 hotel workers in four cities will begin voting today on whether to strike while their new employment contracts are being negotiated, according to their union, Unite Here. The workers are located in San Francisco, Honolulu, Boston and Providence, Rhode Island. The hotels that could be affected include properties in the portfolios of Hilton, Hyatt, Marriott and Omni. The strike votes will be staggered rather than all held at once.
Hotel workers in four US cities to hold strike authorization votes
July 25, 2024 // Workers at 125 hotels in the four cities have sought significant pay raises in new contracts to replace ones that have expired or will expire soon. They are also seeking better healthcare and pension plans and are looking for hotel operators to reverse pandemic-era staff and service cuts like daily room cleaning.
‘This is the year’: SF labor unions prepare for hectic elections
July 15, 2024 // The Labor Council, which represents more than 100 unions, has already signaled it’s unlikely to reach a consensus on an endorsement. “Historically in San Francisco it’s been a bit all over the map,” said Jay Bradshaw, executive secretary-treasurer for the Nor Cal Carpenters Union. “There are times when there’s been alignment, and times when there’s not ... labor gets lumped in like a monolith — and labor is not.” At the state and national levels, unions have historically backed Democratic candidates. In a city where every legitimate candidate is a Democrat, labor organizers are taking a nuanced look at both the policy positions of — and personal relationships with — the candidates.
Who Loves Minimum Wage Laws? Kiosk Makers
July 3, 2024 // Average voters who might think they are helping downtrodden, exploited workers might mean well, but they should realize that they are actually enriching higher-skill workers (who don’t need the help as much), software developers, and people who own shares in ordering kiosk companies.
ALCATRAZ CITY CRUISES WORKERS STRIKE IN SAN FRANCISCO AMIDST SUMMER TOURISM SEASON
May 28, 2024 // As summer tourism kicks into gear, Alcatraz City Cruises workers are hitting the picket lines in San Francisco. Striking for better contracts, the unionized workers who operate the ferry services to Alcatraz Island abruptly halted operations Saturday morning, drawing the attention of tourists and city officials alike. According to NBC Bay Area, the workers are protesting "unfair labor practices" and a stall in negotiations that have dragged on for over a year.