San Francisco’s three-month hotel strike officially ended Tuesday afternoon, as Hilton workers ratified a new contract on Christmas Eve with more than 99% of the vote. A representative from Unite Local 2 confirmed the news.
The Christmas Eve agreement occurred days after unions approved similar deals with the Hyatt and Marriott chains.
Contracts OK’d by workers at all three hotels raised wages, preserved health insurance, and guarded against workload increases caused by understaffing. In the case of Hilton, that meant a $3-per-hour wage increase, with further raises to come. Workers there ratified a four-year agreement, lasting through 2028.
WE ARE UNBREAKABLE 💥
— UNITE HERE Local 2 (@UniteHereL2) December 24, 2024
After 93 days on strike, Hilton workers voted 99.4% yes to approve their contract!
This settles the last of San Francisco’s 2024 hotel strikes, but we’re ready for more if other brands refuse to match the deal we now have with Hilton, Hyatt, and Marriott. pic.twitter.com/CskMr9Hdev
The monthslong strike mobilized about 2,500 workers at some of the city’s biggest hotels: the Westin St. Francis, Marriott Marquis, and Palace Hotel.
It also shook the city’s tourism industry and loudly disrupted Union Square during the peak holiday shopping season.
“These 93 days have not been easy, and I’m so proud that my coworkers and I never gave up,” Bill Fung, a 29-year Hilton janitor, said in a union press release Monday. “We stood together through the rain and cold, and even though there were some hard days, it was all worth it. We will go back to work with our health care, good raises, and the confidence of knowing that when we fight, we win.”
Paul Ades, Hilton’s senior vice president and assistant general counsel, said the hotel was pleased to reach an agreement with workers representing two downtown hotels, Hilton San Francisco Union Square and Parc 55. “We look forward to welcoming our team members back to work,” he added.
Both of those hotels, with some 3,000 rooms between them, are in receivership. They are expected to go to auction.
Mayor-elect Daniel Lurie, who had helped broker the initial talks, also weighed in on the results Tuesday. “Thanks to the hard work of both the union and management, San Francisco will be ready to welcome the world as we head into 2025,” he said.
The picket lines in San Francisco were among several to form nationwide in recent months, with 10,000 hotel workers going on strike in 11 U.S. cities since Labor Day.
This story has been updated to reflect the strike’s resolution and to provide comment from Hilton Hotels.