What Hotel Workers on Strike Told Me in San Francisco - Josiah Mackenzie

I'm sure you've been hearing about the strikes by hotel workers across the country—but what's really behind them? I wanted to go beyond the headlines and press releases and hear directly from the housekeepers, bartenders, waiters, and others who work in hospitality. So, I headed to the picket sites at hotels across San Francisco this afternoon to find out.

Listen now to hear:

• Why hotel workers feel management has stopped listening to them and what it's like "talking to a brick wall" (01:26)
• How hotel workers' hours have shrunk while they're expected to do more with less people (01:58)
• About the profits hotels have made, even during lockdown, and how that contrasts with their current negotiating position (02:53)
• The challenges housekeepers face with fewer hours and dirtier rooms after the pandemic (04:42)
• How rising costs in San Francisco make it difficult for hotel workers to survive on current wages (05:33)
• How hotels are understaffing roles, forcing workers to take on multiple jobs (07:24)
• Hotel workers' perspective that hotels have the profits to increase their pay but are being greedy (08:15)

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Music for this show is produced by Clay Bassford of Bespoke Sound: Music Identity Design for Hospitality Brands