Fatima Amahmoud, a housekeeper at the Moxy hotel in downtown Boston, often finds her workload overwhelming, with up to 17 rooms to clean each shift and challenges like excessive dog fur left by guests who decline daily room cleaning. The COVID-19 pandemic has led to hotels encouraging guests to opt out of daily cleaning, citing environmental reasons but also as a cost-cutting measure. Unionized housekeepers have been fighting for the restoration of automatic daily room cleaning, arguing that their workloads are unmanageable and their hours and income have declined. This struggle highlights the frustration over working conditions in the hotel industry, exacerbated by staffing shortages and evolving travel trends.
UNITE HERE union represents 10,000 hotel workers who recently walked off the job at 25 hotels in eight cities, demanding higher wages and a reversal of service and staffing cuts. This labor unrest reflects the ongoing toll of the pandemic on low-wage women, particularly Black and Hispanic women who make up a large portion of the hotel workforce. The union is pushing for fair compensation for service workers, especially women and people of color, who have been undervalued in the industry for too long.
While the American Hotel And Lodging Association reports critical staffing shortages in hotels, unionized workers like Maria Mata and Nely Reinante struggle to make ends meet with inconsistent hours and low pay. UNITE HERE has had some success in winning back automatic room cleaning at certain hotels, but the issue is still contentious as contracts expire. Workers are determined to secure fair wages and working conditions, despite the hotels’ efforts to reduce costs by cutting services.
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