Workers voted overwhelmingly to authorize a strike at the Hotel Del Coronado should their contract expire without an agreement in just over three weeks.
The strike vote, which took place Friday, covers over 800 workers at the iconic Coronado property who are members of Unite Here Local 30. The strike vote, supported by 95% of the workers, gives the union’s negotiating committee the authority to call a strike at any time after the contract expires on Oct. 31.
The workers are asking for raises and better workloads and contend that Hotel Del Coronado management has not responded to union requests to set negotiation dates.
If a strike begins, the Hotel del workers would join over 700 other employees from the Hilton San Diego Bayfront who have been on the picket line since Sept. 1.
The hotel workers in both properties are members of Local 30, and they’re also asking for the reversal of what they say are industry-wide COVID-era cuts, including understaffing, ending automatic daily housekeeping, and removing food and beverage options.
Their slogans, aimed at the hotel industry, are “Respect Our Work” and “Respect Our Guests,” in part by reversing staffing cuts they allege have led to painful working conditions.
The strike vote covers greeters, housekeepers, front desk agents, cooks, stewards, dishwashers, servers, bussers, bartenders, bellmen, engineers, phone operators, doormen and concierge and valet staff.
According to Local 30, the hotel industry’s gross operating profit was almost 27% higher in 2022 than in 2019, but over the same period hotel staffing per occupied room was down 13%.
Local 30 represents over 7,500 hotel, food service, airport and gaming workers throughout San Diego County.