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By Bay City News Service
Thousands of San Francisco and San Jose Marriott hotel workers went on strike this morning demanding higher wages, greater job security and reduced workload.
The organizers said about 2,500 workers were picketing at seven Marriott hotels in San Francisco. Workers at a San Jose hotel have also started a strike.
Employees paraded in front of hotels with picket signs and megaphones. Some workers have been working in the company for decades and claim that low wages have forced them into second and third jobs.
Lisa Correa, a banquet waitress who has been with the company for 29 years, was one of the striking workers in front of the Marriott Marquis this morning.
Correa explained that her low pay had forced her to live outside the city and that she had to travel nearly 40 km to get to work each day. She also said that Marriott executives were trying to make it harder for workers to qualify for benefits.
"They have invested millions of dollars in renovating their hotels, but then they want to tell us that they can not afford medical care," she said. "We have enough."
Anand Singh, president of Unite Here Local 2, the San Francisco union representing hotel and restaurant workers, said his executives were trying to negotiate with Marriott.
"We encountered resistance or a deafening silence," Singh said.
The strike will continue until workers' demands are met, Singh said. He said in the middle of the morning that the union had not heard from them.
According to the organizers, the San Francisco hotels were chosen: the Courtyard Marriott Downtown, Marriott Marquis, Marriott Union Square, Palace Hotel, St. Regis, W and Westin St. Francis.
A Marriott spokesperson said in a written statement that the hotels would remain open during the strike.
"We are disappointed that Unite Here has chosen to resort to strike at the present time," reads the statement. "We respect the right of our employees to participate in this work stoppage, but we also welcome any partner who chooses to continue working."
Copyright © 2018 by Bay City News, Inc. Re-publishing, re-broadcasting or any other re-use without the express written permission of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited.
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