HONOLULU (AP) — About 2,000 workers went on strike A strike also took place at Hawaii's largest resort on Tuesday, and thousands of people struck at hotels in other U.S. cities.
Unionized workers at the Hilton Hawaiian Village Waikiki Beach Resort, the world's largest, began striking at 5 a.m. They are demanding conditions such as higher pay, a more manageable workload and a rollback of cuts implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic, such as limited Daily room cleaning,
Hilton representatives did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment on the strike.
Greg and Kerry Sellers woke up Tuesday morning to the sounds of drums, whistles and chants, which they could hear coming from beneath the resort's balcony.
“We heard the commotion from the first time we woke up this morning,” Greg Sellers recalled, sitting on a bench overlooking the lagoon outside the resort. “I don't know if it's going to have a big impact on our time here. I think we're sympathetic to the cause because … working rights in Australia are much better than here.”
People sunbathing or sitting under umbrellas on Waikiki Beach near the resort could hear the strikers' noises in the distance, while hotel guests were enjoying the pools, shops and restaurants throughout the resort.
Outside on the street, workers marched and chanted slogans that read “One job should be enough,” a reference to how many Hawaii residents work multiple jobs to survive in a state with an extremely expensive cost of living.
More than 4,000 hotel workers are on strike at Hilton, Hyatt and Marriott hotels in Honolulu, San Diego and San Francisco with the start of Tuesday's strike, according to the Unite Here union. The union said they will remain on strike until they receive new contracts, warning that more strikes could follow soon.
Over 10,000 hotel workers across America went on strike. labor Day weekendMost of which disappear after two or three days.
Aileen Batista said she works three jobs, including as a housekeeper at the Hilton Hawaiian Village, to make ends meet as a single mother.
“I am on strike again and this time I am prepared to stay on strike for as long as it takes to win,” he said in a statement.
Her colleague Estela Fontanilla stopped using the megaphone to lead the marching staff in chanting, and explained that it was important to maintain daily cleaning because it was difficult to clean rooms that had not been cleaned for several days. She said she wanted guests to keep asking for daily cleaning.
It is unclear what effect the strike will have on hotel services. The union has warned that hotels where workers are on strike may suspend their services and try to operate with reduced staff, and that picketing will continue for 24 hours a day outside hotels.
“During previous strikes, guests experienced a variety of inconveniences, including the absence of daily housekeeping, piles of towels and linens in hallways, trash piles outside, closed bars and restaurants, and reduced pool hours,” the union said in a statement.
The strike in hotels has taken place at a time when 600 nurses Kapiolani Medical Center for Women and Children has been closed after staff went on a one-day strike earlier this month. On Monday, 10 people were arrested for blocking buses full of temporary nurses from entering a Honolulu hospital where nurses are demanding safer patient-nurse ratios.
On Tuesday, Hawaii Gov. Josh Green and Attorney General Anne Lopez called on hospital and union leaders to seek federal mediation to help them reach an agreement.