NEW YORK — About 10,000 hotel employees in the United States launched a strike on Sunday that will last several days, as talks with major hotel chains like Marriott International, Hilton Worldwide, and Hyatt Hotels broke down, according to the Unite Here union.

Unite Here, which advocates for workers in hotels, casinos, and airports in both the U.S. and Canada, reported that workers from 24 hotels in key travel spots such as San Francisco and San Diego in California, Honolulu in Hawaii, Boston, Seattle, and Greenwich, Connecticut, are participating in the strike. More workers from other cities are expected to join as the Labor Day holiday continues.

This strike occurs amidst a 9% surge in domestic travel for Labor Day weekend compared to last year, according to AAA’s booking statistics.

The union also stated that strikes have been approved and could start any moment in places like Baltimore, New Haven, Oakland, and Providence as hotel employees negotiate wages and aim to revert job cuts from the pandemic.

According to the union, hotel staff are being overburdened, often having three workers performing the duties meant for four. This situation creates unnecessary pressure and prioritizes speed over quality of service.

“Post-COVID, they expect us to deliver five-star service with a three-star staff,” the union quoted a staff member from Marriott’s Palace Hotel in San Francisco.

In Baltimore, hotel housekeepers are pushing for a wage increase to $20 an hour from their current pay of $16.20. Meanwhile, in Boston, where housekeepers earn $28 per hour, the union is advocating for a $10 increase over the next four years.

Representatives from Hilton and Hyatt stated their commitment to negotiating a fair resolution with the union.

Hyatt is implementing backup plans to lessen the disruption to hotel operations that may arise from the strike actions, Michael D’Angelo, the head of labor relations for the company, mentioned in a statement.

Marriott has not provided a response to a request for comments from Reuters.

This strike takes place as 40,000 Unite Here hotel workers in 20 cities face contracts that are about to expire. New contract negotiations, spanning four years, have been ongoing since May, with around 15,000 workers approving strike actions in 12 markets.

“We will not accept a ‘new normal’ where hotel companies profit by shortchanging their guests and neglecting their workforce,” stated Unite Here President Gwen Mills, in pursuit of a better contract.

The union has advised travelers to cancel their hotel reservations if workers are striking and to ask for no-penalty refunds.

In 2023, Unite Here secured record contracts in Los Angeles after a series of strikes and again in Detroit following a 47-day strike.