New technology, housekeeping among concerns in hotel strikes

BOSTON — Robots delivering room service, checkin kiosks with facial recognition technology and “smart” speakers that serve as an inroom concierge.

The hotel of the not-sodistant future sounds like something out of a sci-fi novel, but it’s drawing real world anxiety for some of the thousands of Marriott hotel workers on strike across the U.S. this month.

“I’m not against technology,” said Juan Eusebio, a 32year-old doorman at the W Hotel in Boston and a member of the local union’s negotiating team. “I just want any technology that comes in to help us do a better job, not take our jobs away.”

How much input workers have as these and other technologies are introduced is among the core issues for the nearly 8,000 workers that have walked off their jobs at Marriott hotels from Boston to Kaanapali since last week, union officials say.

Workers are also seeking changes to housekeeper workloads, particularly as “green” programs allowing guests to opt out of cleaning services become more popular. They’re also pushing for job protections for restaurant and bar staff as more hotels shutter those facilities.

Marriott, the world’s largest hotel operator, declined to comment for this story, but has said it’s “disappointed” workers have decided to strike.

Marriott workers walked out of hotels across Boston last week, followed by workers in San Francisco, San Diego, Oakland, San Jose, Detroit and Hawaii.

Marriott has 5,000 hotels in the U.S. and Canada, of which about 40 are impacted by the current labor union negotiations.

The union’s proposals vary between cities, but generally workers are seeking better compensation to keep up with soaring housing and living costs, said D. Taylor, international president of Unite Here.

Unions agreed to forgo pay raises during the lean recession years to preserve jobs, but now that the industry is reaping record profits in some cities, they want to share in the windfall, he said.

In August, Marriott reported second quarter profits increased 25 percent from the previous year to $610 million.

“We think the largest, most profitable hotel company in the world can afford it,” Taylor said. “Our members are working two or three jobs just to make ends meet.”

On another front, the union wants Marriott to address the impact its “Make a Green Choice” program has had on housekeepers.

The almost decade-old program, which is similar to those offered by other hotel companies, allows guests to earn reward points or other perks for declining housekeeping services. The union, in a report last month, said the program reduces housekeeper hours and leads to more injuries because rooms take more effort to clean once guests depart.