Workers at the iconic Hotel del Coronado have overwhelmingly agreed to authorize a strike over wage increases and workload adjustments, further escalating tensions with hotel management after months of stalled contract negotiations.
The vote, held last Friday, saw 95% of unionized employees at the Hotel Del — members of the UNITE HERE Local 30 — express their readiness to strike if necessary.
This move follows the breakdown in communication between the union and Hilton, the hotel’s parent company, which has yet to respond to the union’s requests for bargaining dates, Brigette Browning, the president of UNITE HERE Local 30, said.
The contract
The contract at the Hotel del Coronado expires on Oct. 31, and negotiations, which initially began in September, have made little headway. If an agreement is not made between the union and the hotel by the end of October, the employees can strike starting on Nov. 1.
The possibility of a strike at the Hotel del Coronado follows in the footsteps of the ongoing strike at the Hilton San Diego Bayfront, where nearly 700 workers have been on the picket lines for over a month.
Browning describes the situation as a critical juncture.
“We’ve been bargaining with Hilton for nine months now at the [Hilton San Diego] Bayfront, and obviously it hasn’t been going well because we’re on day 36 of a strike there,” Browning said. “It’s the same company, the same negotiators at the Del, and it became critical to us to be ready to strike at the Del to get both hotels’ contracts settled as quickly as possible.”
A Hilton spokesperson told The Coronado News that the Hotel del Coronado expects to begin negotiations for a new collective bargaining agreement in the very near future, with Unite HERE Local 30, which represents some of their team members.
“We remain committed to negotiating in good faith to reach a fair and reasonable agreement that is beneficial to both our valued team members and to our hotel,” the spokesperson said. “We are confident we can reach an agreement on a new CBA [collective bargaining agreement] without any strike activity.”
Union workers at the Del include front desk agents, housekeepers, cooks, stewards, servers, bartenders, bussers, dishwashers, engineers, bellpersons, phone operators, concierge, valet staff and doormen. Currently, the hotel has about 800 unionized employees, although Browning anticipates this number could rise to 1,400 once renovations on the Victorian building are completed.
Wage increases amid increasing cost of living
Browning said workers are primarily pushing for significant wage increases that would enable them to cope with San Diego County’s escalating cost of living.
The hourly wage for a cook at the Hotel Del ranges from $21.12 to $24.85 per hour. At the Hilton San Diego Bayfront, the hourly wage for a temporary bellperson is $17.85; temporary room attendant, $24.05 and temporary utility steward/washer, $23.30.
Hilton’s current offer of a $5.50 raise spread over four years is insufficient, Browning said, especially as monthly rents are escalating to $3,000 in the state.
Workers are also demanding adjustments to workload rules, claiming that pandemic-era cuts to services have resulted in many performing the tasks of two employees.
“We’re trying to get people to a wage where they can actually live in San Diego County,” Browning said. “There’s no way our members can survive with a $1.25 raise when rents are skyrocketing. Many are working two jobs just to survive.”
Despite raking in more than $100 billion in gross operating profits in 2022, the U.S. hotel industry has slashed staffing levels, with 13% fewer employees per occupied room compared to 2019, according to UNITE HERE.
Alongside this reduction, services like daily housekeeping and food services have been removed from many hotels.
While the Hotel Del workers have not yet walked off the job Browning said she believes their readiness to strike will send a strong message to Hilton.
On Monday and Tuesday this week, Browning said the union will continue bargaining with Hilton at the union’s hall in San Diego.
“I’m hoping we can get the Hilton contract done this week, which would set the framework for the Del,” she said.
For now, UNITE HERE Local 30 continues to mobilize its members and hold departmental meetings to solidify bargaining priorities. Despite the strain, Browning expressed optimism that a resolution could be reached soon, preventing the need for a strike at one of San Diego’s most storied hotels.
