Ten SF Hotels Lock out Workers

Ten of San Francisco 's largest hotels have responded to the limited strike against four hotels organized by UNITE HERE Local 2 with a lock out that has affected approximately 2,600 laborers. A total of 4,000 UNITE HERE union members are currently involved in the labor dispute which centers on the length of the next contract as well as differences over wages, health benefits and pensions. The last contract expired Aug. 14.

Since Wednesday, union members have loudly protested in front of the four struck hotels with picket signs while tourists have reacted with mixed emotions about the tense, and sometimes raucous, scenes playing out in front of their lodgings.

The four struck hotels are the Argent Hotel, the Crowne Plaza Union Square , the Hilton and the Intercontinental Mark Hopkins. The ten hotels engaging in the lockout are the Fairmont , Four Seasons, Grand Hyatt San Francisco, Holiday Inn Civic Center , Holiday Inn Express & Suites Fisherman's Wharf, Holiday Inn at Fisherman's Wharf, Palace, Hyatt Regency, Omni and Westin St. Francis.