Ten days into the Chicago
Hotel Strike, the struggle has not slowed, but has in fact grown.
A 26th hotel has joined the initial 25 and there is little sign of
the workers letting up. Hotels on strike include the Drake Hotel,
Hyatt, Hilton, Holiday Inn, JW Marriott, Ritz-Carlton and
more.
And they are not the only ones
fighting.
Thousands of hotel workers at
Marriotts across the country have authorized to strike in at least 21
hotels in five cities. This number may very well multiply since UNITE
HERE represents over 20,000 Marriott workers on the continent.
In Chicago, Local 1 of UNITE HERE
is in negotiations at 30 hotels. The contracts expired on August 31st
and in the strike authorization vote 97% voted to strike. Their
biggest demand? Year round healthcare coverage. It is common for
hotels to lay off workers - many of whom are immigrant women - in the
slow winter period between October and March, and with the layoffs
come breaks in coverage. This means that hotel workers and their
families suddenly are left without healthcare, despite illnesses that
do not take a break during those months.
This is unacceptable. Workers
should have access to healthcare regardless of the occupancy of the
hotels. Hotels that are making money hand over fist. Even according
to the industry magazine, Hotel Management, 55
million tourists visited Chicago last year.
Most needed a place
to stay and many paid hundreds of dollars for a night’s stay.
According to the Marriot’s 2018
first quarter report, earnings per share rose 15% from 2017 and a
$398 million net income— a 7 percent increase from 2017. The same
dynamic is seen in hotels around the country. It is clear that there
is more than enough money for healthcare. But the bosses are never
satisfied and are always demanding more for themselves.
Nearly 6,000 hotel workers on
strike across 26 hotels demonstrates the possibilities of workers
fighting back against massive multinational corporations. For hotel
workers like myself, its deeply inspiring. There are even rumors of
workers in other sectors showing solidarity, such as UPS and
Teamsters who refuse to deliver to hotels.
It should be noted though, that
four of the 30 hotels in negotiations are not yet on strike. It is
unclear why these four hotels have not joined the 26 that are already
on strike. And Local 1 represents a total of 15,000 workers in the
city, far more than those who are in negotiations now. If they were
to follow the strikers’ lead, they could shut the hotels down
completely. Right now, the hotels are still running - barely - with
subcontracted, temp agency labor. And a cursory glance of online
reviews shows the impact of the disruption. A picket that stops work
altogether and stops the scabs in their tracks will requires
thousands of workers— which means joining in of other unions in the
city. Could hotel workers, united with other sectors of workers take
up the demand for universal healthcare, which has gained some
national prominence? Could hotel workers unite with healthcare
workers to demand quality healthcare? Could mass pickets shut down
more than hotels— could they shut down the whole city?
Contracts are negotiated hotel by
hotel, so there is the possibility the strike winds down as hotels
settle. These piecemeal contracts could be combated in favor of the
fight for a master contract that represents the best standards not
just for those in the union but also those workers not yet in the
union. Again, this will require the participation of the whole of
Labor, and would be another step forward for unions to represent
working class interests even outside their memberships. Nonunion
workers deserve improved conditions as well as unionized workers.
Representing both sectors— unionized and non-unionized serves to
amplify and strengthen the struggle. Division is the enemy of the
working class, and the larger the organization and contracts, the
stronger the workers.
Marriott workers understand this.
On Monday, September 10th, Marriott workers in Waikiki and Maui,
Hawaii authorized a strike with 95% of the vote. In Boston, this vote
was repeated at 95% for a strike on September 12th, and the next day
in San Francisco, 99% voted to strike. Seattle joined in with a
strike vote on September 15 at the Westin Seattle. The possibility of
a simultaneous strike across 21 hotels in five cities from coast to
coast is a big advance. 7,800 workers may go on strike, hopefully
joining the 6,000 workers already on strike. This could increase even
more as there are 12,000 workers working without a contract and
20,000 UNITE HERE workers at Marriott hotels around the country.
Hotel workers fighting against the largest hotel company in the world
could provide the spark for organizing in the private sector, just as
the militant teachers of West Virginia, Oklahoma and Arizona have
done for teachers and other public sector workers.
Regardless of what happens in
Chicago and at the Marriotts, the hospitality workers of Stamford are
inspired by their sisters and brothers and wish them victory. At
a picket
on September 9th in front of the Hilton Stamford, a Hyatt worker
spoke out that “We should look at what they are doing in Chicago
and learn from them.”
>> The article above was
written by Willian Lewis, and is reprinted from Left Voice.
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