Thousands of hotel workers go on strike

Employees demand higher pay, reversal of COVID-era cuts

- DEE-ANN DURBIN

Hotel workers picket at the Boston Park Plaza Hotel on Monday as more than 10,000 hotel workers across the U.S. walked off the job on Labour Day weekend. The UNITE HERE union said the strikes aim to secure pay on par with traditionally maledominated industries.

More than 10,000 workers at 25 hotels across the U.S. were on strike Monday after choosing Labour Day weekend to amplify their demands for higher pay, fairer workloads and the reversal of COVID-era cuts.

The UNITE HERE union, which represents the striking housekeepers and other hospitality workers, said 200 workers at the Hilton Baltimore Inner Harbor were the latest to walk off the job.

Nearly half of the striking workers — or 5,000 — are in Honolulu. That includes Briana Canencia, a food server for more than a decade at a Marriott property who said she was on the picket line fighting for not only higher wages, but also respect amid reduced hours and increased workloads.