Marriott, the city’s biggest hotel operator, has agreed on a tentative deal with the hotel union leading a strike against the company.
Unite Here Local 2 has reached an agreement with Marriott that could be the beginning of the end of a strike that has clamored on for months at some of the city’s most prominent hotels.
The news was first reported by the San Francisco Business Times.
The four Marriott hotels where workers were striking are the Marriott Union Square, Westin St. Francis, the Marriott Marquis, and the Palace Hotel.
“We are pleased to have reached a new labor agreement for our valued associates in San Francisco,” a Marriott spokesperson said in a statement.
The tentative agreement is for a four-year contract to expire in 2028. It would cover around 2,000 Marriott workers, including 1,500 who’ve been on strike, and would preserve workers’ union health insurance plan, increase wages, and create new protections against understaffing.
The mood was celebratory at the hotel, where some four dozen workers took a break from drumming and chanting along Market Street to whoop and cheer.
“We’re feeling great,” said Lisa Kaid, a banquet server at the Marriott Marquis. “Marriott came to the table, and they did the right thing.”
Kaid, who is a shop steward for Unite Local 2, said she “for sure” expects the workers to ratify the contract.
The ratification vote will take place from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Moscone South, according to Kaid.
Workers from seven hotels have been picketing for nearly three months, banging metal drums and shouting through bullhorns, in their fight for better wages and benefits.
The protesters stopped drumming on weekdays outside the Marriott Union Square because it’s located near healthcare facilities, a union spokesperson said.
Ted Waechter, spokesperson for the union, said representatives from Marriott reached out Saturday to resume negotiations. After five days of negotiations, the four Marriott hotels agreed to preserve the union’s health plan rather than introduce a two-tiered system providing different benefits to new hires.
“Three months on the picket line have proven hotel workers’ determination to protect their healthcare, provide for their families, and help this city recover,” Lizzy Tapia, president of Unite Here Local 2, said in a statement. “Marriott has stepped up and led the way. We look forward to meeting with Hilton and Hyatt in the days to come.”
Around 1,000 Hilton and Hyatt workers remain on strike, as the companies have yet to reach deals with the union.
Kaid added that the union will encourage workers at hotels with contracts to picket at still-striking hotels on their off days.
“We continue to wait for Unite Here Local 2 to provide dates to resume meaningful negotiations,” Michael D’Angelo, the head of labor relations for the Americas at Hyatt, said in a statement. “We look forward to continuing to negotiate fair contracts and recognize the contributions of Hyatt employees.”
A union steward told a crowd of workers outside the Grand Hyatt that some union leaders expect to reach a tentative agreement in the next few days.
“I feel hopeful,” said Joanna Herrera, a marketplace worker at the Grand Hyatt. “I feel confident we’re going to win.”
Herrera said the union win at the Marriott hotels have breathed new life into the Hyatt picket line.
“This is amazingly good news,” he said. “We know now that we’re this close at the Hyatt.”
The workers then returned to banging their metal drums and chanting.
This is a developing story and will be updated.