US hotel workers still fighting for basic benefits after ‘hot labor summer’

Thousands of hotel workers in southern California have gone on strike over 100 times since last July, with some still fighting for new union contracts

Last year was a big year for the US labor movement with historic wins and gains for workers at UPS, automakers, and for writers and actors in Hollywood. But for thousands of hotel workers, the majority of whom are Latina women from immigrant communities, their fight has continued into 2024 without garnering the same amount of public attention.

California's hotel workers have led one of the biggest strike waves to ever hit the US hotel industry to secure wage increases they say they need to afford to live in the areas where they work. Their actions coincided with the hot labor summer" that saw ultimately successful union campaigns from Hollywood writers, actors and others.