Hotel Workers Fight Cutbacks with Peaceful Civil Disobedience
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Nearly 300 UNITE HERE members protesting demands from major hotels in Chicago and San Francisco for cutbacks, and the firing of 100 housekeepers in Boston, were arrested in peaceful civil disobedience demonstrations in recent days.
In a statement, UNITE HERE says the big hotel corporations have enjoyed record profits—more than $200 billion in the past decade—while many of their workers live in poverty.
“Now, hospitality companies are using the economy as an excuse to further squeeze workers and communities—eliminating jobs, trying to roll back benefits, and getting a smaller pool of workers to risk injury by working harder and faster.”
Contracts covering some 7,500 workers at 37 hotels in Chicago and 9,000 at 32 San Francisco hotels expired in August. Talks are continuing with the largest employers in each city, including Hyatt Hotels Corp., Blackstone Group and Starwood Hotels and Resorts, all of which operate properties under several different banners.
