Hotel Workers Rising
“Their hearts were bowed down with hard labor; they fell down, with no one to help.”
These hotel workers face many more indignities in jobs where they have no collective voice:
- Housekeepers must clean between 16 and 24 rooms a day, working through breaks and lunch and into unpaid overtime to meet this quota.
- Due to this brutal workload, hotel housekeepers have one of the highest on-the-job injury rates for working women in the nation.
- Wages average only $7.50 to $8.50 an hour, or about $1300 to $1473 monthly for full time work.
- Workers are typically asked to pay health insurance premiums of $300 per month for a family, putting health care out of reach for many housekeepers.
- The gratuities that many of us pay to reward hard work are routinely taken by the hotels. These corporations passed a law that says that tips are the property of the hotel, and that workers need never see a dime of that money.
- Workers lack sick leave, paid or unpaid.
- Those who speak out about these conditions are routinely humiliated, disciplined, and fired.
_Read personal stories_ of hotel workers who are fighting for a better life. [Link to PDF of six hotel worker stories]
Throughout our nation’s history, people of faith have stood shoulder to shoulder with workers because of our shared belief that all people matter. We know that hotel corporations can make healthy profits without creating poverty jobs, without harassing and intimidating their workforce, without breaking the bodies and spirits of their workers.
Through a nationwide campaign, hotel workers across the country are coming together in a collective cry for justice. On September 13th, 2006, workers at the Doubletree Hotel San Jose voted to form a union so that they will be stronger together. Now that they can speak with one voice, Doubletree San Jose workers are nearing the end of negotiations for a contract that will set basic standards:
- Livable wages
- Paid sick days
- Affordable family health coverage
- A voice on the job
- Humane and safe workloads
- Protections for immigrant workers
- Opening industry jobs to African Americans
The Interfaith Council has supported the Doubletree workers every step of the way.
- We formed a clergy committee that signed a letter of support for the workers, made a delegation visit to the hotel management, and led the faith community’s campaign for justice.
- Drawing from our rich faith traditions, we held a Justice Seder (for the Jewish holiday Passover) to bring together clergy and community members to hear the workers’ stories.
- We have provided ministry and emergency support to workers unfairly disciplined for speaking out about their working conditions.
- During the months of September and October, hotel workers and faith leaders spoke to tens of thousands of Silicon Valley congregants about the struggle at the Doubletree, gathering almost 15,000 _pledges of support_. [link to pledge card]
- We presented the pledge cards to hotel management in November, with representatives from the 30 congregations present to support workers and invite management to a higher standard of just and fair treatment for their workers.
- At a public hearing on January 17, 2007, the Interfaith Council Commission on Worker Justice heard testimonies from hotel housekeepers in San Jose about workloads and injuries.
Join us in supporting the hotel workers’ fight for justice and equity in the workplace!
_Read more about the hotel workers’ struggle_ [link: Focus Areas>O&LD>Campaigns>Hotel Workers]
_Read the words that workers shared with congregations this year_ [need to decide whether to post these on website or make them available by request]
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Service Workers Rising
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Uniform Justice at Cintas
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2102 Almaden Road, Ste. 107 San Jose, CA 95125
p: 408.269.7872
f: 408.269.0183
e: info@wpusa.org