Dozens of striking hotel workers in San Francisco were arrested as hundreds demonstrated for higher wages and better working conditions two months after their contracts expired.
The arrests happened Wednesday around 5 p.m. as union members sat in the middle of a busy street after a march that started near the Hilton Union Square, the city’s largest hotel.
Protesters wore red T-shirts and chanted “No contract, no peace” while blowing air horns.
Police officers escorted the arrested protesters to a nearby sheriff’s bus, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.
The union Unite Here Local 2 said in a statement on Thursday that 85 of its members had been taken into custody.
More than 2,000 union workers are seeking better pay and conditions after labor contracts expired in August.
Union members have previously blocked traffic and staged sit-ins during hotel contact disputes in 2018, 2010 and 2005, leading to arrests, the Chronicle reported.
Unite Here Local 2 said it has not met with hotel operators, including Hyatt, Hilton and Marriott, since August. A Hyatt official told the newspaper that the union has not been contacted to resume negotiations since the strike began last month.
The union said it would give up guaranteed wage increases and instead tie them to hotel revenues.
“Hotel workers love San Francisco and want to help our city recover,” said Lizzy Tapia, president of Unite Here Local 2, in a statement. “In August, we even offered to sacrifice guaranteed pay increases and make pay contingent on hotel profits, and we challenged hotels to match our investments and reverse COVID-era cuts.”
The strike included major hotels including the Grand Hyatt San Francisco, Marriott Union Square, Palace Hotel and Westin St. Francis, as well as the Hilton Union Square.
“We are disappointed that Unite Here Local 2 is continuing to strike while Hyatt remains willing to continue negotiating in good faith. At this time, Unite Here Local 2 has not contacted us to resume negotiations since the beginning of the strike,” said Michael D’Angelo, the company’s chief executive. of labor relations in America, for Hyatt, said in a statement.
D’Angelo said the hotels have plans in place to minimize the impact on hotel operations due to strike activity.
