In autumn 2018, Marriott workers mounted what UNITE HERE described as the largest multi-city hotel strike in American history, turning the polished image of global luxury hospitality inside out. About 8,300 workers voted to authorize strikes, and walkouts began on October 3 and 4 in San Francisco and Boston before spreading to San Diego, Oakland, Hawaii, Detroit, and San Jose, eventually affecting 23 hotels. Employees argued that Marriott's wages, scheduling practices, and job-security policies made it impossible to survive on a single paycheck; the rallying slogan was 'One job should be enough,' with workers reporting that they needed two or three jobs to make ends meet. Strikers remained on picket lines for weeks, sometimes in severe weather, while negotiations unfolded property by property. Settlements reached from late November onward produced substantial wage and benefit increases and stronger protections against sexual harassment. The final agreement, ratified in San Francisco on December 3 by 99.6 percent of the 2,500-member local, became a high-profile challenge to the labor model behind a luxury hotel empire whose guests experienced comfort and service largely invisible to the workers providing it.
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AI concept artworkArchive Record · 2010s
One Job Should Be Enough: The 2018 Marriott Strike and the Hidden Cost of Luxury Hospitality
Marriott International and UNITE HERE / 2010s
In autumn 2018, Marriott workers mounted what UNITE HERE described as the largest multi-city hotel strike in American history, turning the polished image of global luxury hospitality inside out. About 8,300 workers voted to authorize strikes, and walkouts began on October 3 and 4 in San Francisco and Boston before spreading to San Diego, Oakland, Hawaii, Detroit, and San Jose, eventually affecting 23 hotels. Employees argued that Marriott's wages, scheduling practices, and job-security policies made it impossible to survive on a single paycheck; the rallying slogan was 'One job should be enough,' with workers reporting that they needed two or three jobs to make ends meet. Strikers remained on picket lines for weeks, sometimes in severe weather, while negotiations unfolded property by property. Settlements reached from late November onward produced substantial wage and benefit increases and stronger protections against sexual harassment. The final agreement, ratified in San Francisco on December 3 by 99.6 percent of the 2,500-member local, became a high-profile challenge to the labor model behind a luxury hotel empire whose guests experienced comfort and service largely invisible to the workers providing it.
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