Empowering Hotel Workers: The Fight for Fair Wages and Working Conditions

Working as a housekeeper at the Moxy hotel in downtown Boston, Fatima Amahmoud faces the daunting task of cleaning up to 17 rooms per shift. Some days, the job feels impossible – like the time she discovered three days’ worth of blond dog fur scattered across the curtains, bedspread, and carpet of a room. With only 30 minutes allotted for each room, she knew she wouldn’t finish on time. The option for guests to decline daily room cleaning, touted as environmentally friendly, has become a way for hotels to cut costs and manage labor shortages exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Unionized housekeepers, however, are fighting back. They are demanding the reinstatement of automatic daily room cleaning at major hotel chains, citing unmanageable workloads, reduced hours, and declining income as key issues. The conflict underscores the challenges faced by hotel workers in an industry grappling with labor shortages and changing travel patterns post-pandemic shutdowns.

Recently, 10,000 hotel workers represented by the UNITE HERE union staged strikes at 25 hotels across eight cities, signaling their discontent with current working conditions. Contract negotiations are stalling as workers demand higher wages and a rollback of service and staffing cuts, with a total of 15,000 workers voting to authorize strikes.

Amahmoud, speaking on behalf of her colleagues, expressed their concerns about overwhelming workloads and the toll it takes on their well-being. Hotel management, on the other hand, remains adamant about their position, citing contingency plans to minimize disruptions caused by the strikes.

The labor unrest highlights the ongoing struggles of low-wage women, especially Black and Hispanic women, who dominate front-facing service roles in the hotel industry. Despite an overall uptick in women rejoining the workforce post-pandemic, disparities in employment rates persist, particularly among women without college degrees.

The fight for fair wages and better working conditions extends beyond daily room cleaning. Union President Gwen Mills sees the negotiations as part of a broader battle for equitable compensation for service workers, particularly women and people of color, who have historically been undervalued in the hospitality sector.

UNITE HERE’s recent success in securing improved terms for hotel workers in southern California serves as a beacon of hope for those fighting for better pay and benefits. The landscape of the hotel industry, marked by staffing shortages and rising guest expectations, underscores the pressing need for meaningful changes in how workers are treated.

While the American Hotel and Lodging Association reports efforts to attract workers through increased wages, the reality on the ground paints a different picture. Workers like Maria Mata from the W Hotel in San Francisco struggle to make ends meet, hoping for stability and fair compensation in an uncertain economy.

As negotiations continue and strikes loom, the fate of hotel workers hangs in the balance. The push for fair wages, better working conditions, and respect for the essential role of hotel employees underscores the need for industry-wide reform. Hotel workers are rising to the occasion, calling for a brighter future in an industry that thrives on their hard work and dedication.