Hyatt workers ratify new contract, ending strike 1 day after Marriott deal
SAN FRANCISCO - Hotel workers who have been on strike for the past three months reached a tentative agreement with Hyatt Hotels Corporation late Friday, the employees' union said in a press release Saturday morning.
It is the same four-year contract as one reached with Marriott hotels on Thursday that the union, Unite Here Local 2, said included wage increases, preserved its health insurance plan, and would prevent understaffing and workload increases that have plagued the industry since the COVID-19 pandemic.
Members of the union will vote on the Hyatt contract on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
The contract covers about 600 Hyatt hotel workers in various positions at the Grand Hyatt San Francisco, Hotel Kabuki, and Hyatt Regency San Francisco at Embarcadero, including 250 employees who were on strike at the Grand Hyatt San Francisco on Stockton Street.
"Winning this contract is the biggest victory of my life," Sergio Hernandez, a busser at the Grand Hyatt San Francisco for 16 years said in the union's press release.
"Securing affordable healthcare and having respect on the job were my main goals. Now I won't have to worry about our healthcare being cut. Everything we won was because of the sacrifice we made to fight for our rights. Now, I'm going to the Hilton to walk with them on the picket line until they win," Hernandez said.
The same contract was ratified by Marriott workers with more than 99% support, according to the union.
About 650 members of the union at Hilton hotels remain on strike and will continue to picket at the Hilton San Francisco Union Square on O'Farrell Street.
Unite Here Local 2 represents about 15,000 hotel, airport and food service workers in San Francisco and San Mateo counties and the East and North Bay Area, according to the union.
In a statement to KTVU, Head of Labor Relations-America Michael D'Angelo said:
"We are pleased to announce that Grand Hyatt San Francisco, Hyatt Regency San Francisco and Hotel Kabuki have reached a new four-year collective bargaining agreement with UNITE HERE Local 2 with terms that have our employees’ best interests in mind. Under the new collective bargaining agreement, we continue to offer competitive wages and benefits, as well as comprehensive healthcare coverage. Our colleagues are the heart of our business, and we continue to recognize and value their contributions."