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Dozens of Hotel Workers Arrested in San Francisco March
Hotels Across United States Reach Agreements with Unions
By Jordan Bradley
Dozens of hotel workers on strike were arrested for civil disobedience in a demonstration that marched through downtown San Francisco on October 30.
The 85 demonstrators included striking hotel workers and supporters and “were part of a protest calling on hotels to settle contracts and end weeks-long hotel strikes” that involved hundreds of demonstrators, according to Unite Here, the hotel union organizing the nationwide strike actions.
The arrested demonstrators were released the same day and charged with disorderly conduct, a Unite Here representative told USAE.
The arrests occurred at approximately 5 p.m. as union members sat in the middle of Powell Street, next to Union Square, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. The march began next to the Hilton Union Square, the city’s largest hotel.
“I take my job very seriously because I am the eyes and ears on the street, and I know that guests’ experience of San Francisco depends on me,” said Jacov Awoke, a doorman at the Hilton San Francisco Union Square for 35 years, who was arrested in the civil disobedience. “Unfortunately, understaffing has made it very difficult.”
Awoke said he recalled a specific incident while working at the hotel when he “was short staffed on a shift.” The lack of coverage resulted in a guest’s property being stolen “right in front of the hotel,” he said.
While strikes continue in San Francisco, workers in several cities have ratified new contracts with their respective hotels, including Boston, where more 765 Hilton workers voted to ratify new contracts on October 31.
The hotels where contracts were ratified in Boston include the Hilton Boston Logan Airport and Hilton Boston Park Plaza hotels—where workers were on strike for 24 days—and the DoubleTree Hilton Boston-Cambridge and Hampton Inn & Homewood Suites Boston Seaport hotels.
Workers at these hotels will see the same improvements to their contracts as won by workers at Omni properties in Boston on October 20: $10 per hour wage increases over four years for non-tipped workers, sustained health care benefits, and improved hiring and severance language.
Approximately 1,800 workers at the Hilton Hawaiian Village, the largest hotel on the island state, voted to ratify a new contract agreement on November 4. They returned to work on November 5 following 40 days of strikes.
The new contract includes “significant wage increase, affordable health care, and staffing and workload protections,” Unite Here said.
“As Hawaii’s visitor industry continues to recover from the impacts of the Maui wildfires, we are grateful that an agreement has been reached between Hilton management and its employees,” said Mufi Hannemann, Chair of the Hawaii Tourism Authority Board. “Advocating for better conditions and pay together is central to Hawaii’s history. With this agreement, both sides showed a dedication to raising the quality of life for Hawaii’s working families.”
Workers who participated in the ongoing strike action first initiated Labor Day weekend at properties in Greenwich and New Haven, Connecticut; Providence, Rhode Island; Sacramento, San Diego and San Jose, California, have also ratified new contracts.
“Momentum is building as hotel workers across the U.S. fight for decent pay and fair workloads,” said Gwen Mills, International President of Unite Here. “Our recent settlements prove that jobs at Hilton, Hyatt, and Marriott can be genuinely good, family-sustaining jobs, and strikes will continue until workers in all our cities have won contracts that deliver on that promise.”
The union said more strike action is possible. Almost 2,000 hotel workers remain on strike at five Hilton, Hyatt, and Marriott properties in San Francisco, and more strikes have been authorized at hotels in Boston, Massachusetts; Honolulu and Kawaii, Hawaii; Oakland, San Diego, San Francisco and San Mateo County, California; and Seattle, Washington, according to the union
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