More than 7,700 Marriott hotel workers walked off the job this week in a strike promoted by claims of low pay and demands for improved working conditions and protection against sexual harassment, CBS News reported October 9, 2018.
Hotels in Boston, Detroit, Oakland, San Diego, San Francisco, San Jose, and Hawaii are affected.
“Marriott is the richest and most profitable hotel company in the world, and by taking them on in this historic hotel worker strike, Unite Here union members are going to change the lives of all workers in our industry,” said union head Donald “D” Taylor.
“We’re asking for significant raises that bring workers up above the poverty line. We want people to be able to work full-time at Marriott and still be able to provide for their families. We’re looking at dollars on the hour raises,” said San Francisco union representative Rachel Gumpert.
Workers are also concerned about automation replacing workers’ jobs.
Marriott officials, while expressing support for their workers’ rights, said they were disappointed about the walkout. All affected hotels remain open, the company said.
About 12,000 union bellhops, front-desk clerks, housekeepers and restaurant workers authorised the strike after their contracts expired over the summer.
