Thousands of hotel workers in multiple US cities are participating in a multi-day strike following stalled contract negotiations with major hotel operators including Marriott International, Hilton Worldwide, and Hyatt Hotels, according to the Unite Here union on Sunday.

Unite Here, representing workers in hotels, casinos, and airports throughout the United States and Canada, reported that over 4,000 workers are striking in San Francisco, San Jose, Boston, Seattle, and Greenwich, Connecticut. Additional cities are expected to join the strike as the Labour Day holiday weekend progresses.

The union also announced that strikes have been authorized and could commence at any moment in Baltimore, Honolulu, Kauai, New Haven, Oakland, Providence, and San Diego, as negotiations over wages and reverting pandemic-era job cuts remain unresolved.

This Labour Day weekend, with the hotel industry experiencing a surge in travelers—reflected in a nine percent increase in domestic travel according to AAA booking data—thousands of hotel workers will be on strike. Hyatt expressed disappointment with the union's decision to strike, with Michael D'Angelo, head of labor relations at Hyatt, stating the company looks forward to negotiating fair contracts and acknowledging the contributions of Hyatt employees.

Hyatt has contingency plans to mitigate the impact of potential strike activity on hotel operations. Marriott and Hilton have yet to respond to a request for comment from Reuters. The strike coincides with 40,000 Unite Here hotel workers in 20 cities facing contract expirations this year, with about 15,000 of those workers authorized to strike in 12 markets. Negotiations for new four-year contracts have been ongoing since May.

Unite Here President Gwen Mills declared, "We won't accept a 'new normal' where hotel companies profit by reducing services to guests and neglecting their obligations to workers," calling for a better deal. The union has encouraged travelers to cancel their hotel reservations if workers are on strike and to seek penalty-free refunds.

In 2023, Unite Here workers secured record contracts in Los Angeles after rolling strikes and in Detroit following a 47-day strike.