Housekeepers at prominent hotel chains launch strikes for better wages and daily room cleaning duties

Fatima Amahmoud, a housekeeper at the Moxy hotel in Boston, faces challenges completing her workload of up to 17 rooms per shift, especially when guests decline daily room cleaning. This practice, promoted as environmentally friendly, actually serves to cut labor costs and has resulted in overwhelming workloads for many housekeepers. Unionized hotel workers, represented by UNITE HERE, have engaged in strikes across multiple cities to demand higher wages, restore daily room cleaning, and address staffing cuts. The pandemic has exacerbated existing labor issues in the hotel industry, impacting low-wage women, particularly women of color and immigrants who are overrepresented in such roles. These workers are struggling with low pay, erratic schedules, and insufficient hours, leading to financial hardships for many. Despite efforts by hotels to attract workers through wage increases, hotel employees continue to face challenges in meeting their basic needs. UNITE HERE has successfully won back daily room cleaning at some hotels but faces ongoing battles as contracts expire. The union is pushing for language that prevents hotels from quietly encouraging guests to opt out of daily housekeeping. The hotel industry has rebounded post-pandemic, but labor issues persist, with hotels viewing reduced services as a long-term cost-saving strategy. Workers, like Chandra Anderson in Baltimore, are advocating for fair wages and benefits to address their financial struggles and ensure a better quality of life for themselves and their families.

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