If you’re planning on booking your next hotel stay at a Marriott property in Detroit, Boston, San Diego, San Jose, Oakland, San Francisco, Maui, and Oahu — you might witness an employee strike outside of the hotel doors.
Last week, over 8,000 Marriott employees, including housekeepers, bartenders, and other service workers, walked off the job, citing higher wages and safety as the main point of their frustrations.
Since Marriott is now the largest and most profitable hotel chain in the world, with a value of $49.4 billion, workers would like to reap the benefits of building their careers at the well-known company. With the support of Unite Here, the employees are not simply seeking better wages that will allow them to take care of their families and give them the ability to retire someday. Set work hours, secure schedules, and stricter sexual harassment policies are also at the top of their priorities.
At this moment, nearly half of the 20,000 Marriott workers Unite Here represents are on strike, and the hotels are starting to feel the effects. San Francisco’s Mayor London Breed has scheduled meetings with local Unite Here leaders. On top of that, service at the 23 hotels is taking a hit with guests taking to TripAdvisor to report slow check-ins, limited housekeeping, and rooms not being ready until 6 PM.
Marriott is keeping their doors open, and made this statement, “We are disappointed that Unite Here has chosen to resort to a strike at this time. During the strike our hotels are open, and we stand ready to provide excellent service to our guests. We continue to bargain in good faith for a fair contract. While we respect our associates’ rights to participate in this work stoppage, we also will welcome any associate who chooses to continue to work.”
“We are disappointed that Unite Here has chosen to resort to a strike at this time. During the strike our hotels are open, and we stand ready to provide excellent service to our guests,” the statement continues. “We continue to bargain in good faith for a fair contract. While we respect our associates’ rights to participate in this work stoppage, we also will welcome any associate who chooses to continue to work.”