Strikes start at top hotel chains as housekeepers seek higher wages and daily room cleaning work

AP Business Writer

Hotel housekeepers have for years waged a fierce battle to restore automatic daily room cleaning that was scaled back at many properties during the coronavirus pandemic. Many hotels have scaled back housekeeping to conserve water and energy, cut labor costs and cope with worker shortages. The dispute has taken center stage during tense contract negotiations. Thousands of workers represented by the UNITE HERE union walked off the job Sunday at 25 hotels in eight cities, including Honolulu, Boston, San Francisco, San Jose, San Diego and Seattle. The strikes could expand to other cities. The labor unrest is a reminder of the pandemic’s disproportionate toll on low-wage women who are overrepresented in front-facing service jobs.