UNITE HERE North America members joined the Global Week of Action

In November 2015, as part of the IUF’s Global Week of Action, UNITE HERE members in over 20 cities across the U.S. and Canada joined with unions in more than 30 countries around the world in calling for safer working conditions and fair treatment for all housekeepers.

Housekeepers from UNITE HERE Local 1 in Chicago, Illinois, gathered outside Hotel Monaco to protest heavy workload and to demand attention to housekeeper safety concerns. In a survey of 18 members of the housekeeping department by UNITE HERE Local 1, all workers who responded reported experiencing pain at work: 72% reported having woken up during the night in pain.

UNITE HERE Local 11 joined the campaign to Stand with Women Against Abuse in Long Beach, California. Workers from the Renaissance and Westin Long Beach took to the streets, and received support from community and faith leaders as they illuminated stories of abuse in the hospitality industry. 

UNITE HERE Local 26 in Boston, Massachusetts campaigned on behalf of hotel workers at the Wyndham Boston Beacon Hill, raising awareness about safety concerns for housekeepers. As reported The Boston Globe, officials from the federal government agency for occupational health and safety fined the hotel $12,000 following an investigation into housekeepers’ claims that they were cleaning up medical waste from patients staying at the nearby hospital. The citation stated that the hotel failed to adequately protect workers from biological and physical hazards.
Housekeepers from UNITE HERE Local 74 in St. Louis, Missouri formed a delegation asking management for long-handled cleaning tools called “sticky rollers” that would alleviate the pain they endure from cleaning hotel room floors on their hands and knees. And they won!