8000 Hotel Workers Off the Job
Janet Yee

KPIX (CBS)

A San Francisco work stoppage expanded to a total of 14 major hotels Friday.

Operators locked out union employees at 10 hotels Friday morning, after other workers started a two-week strike at four hotels Wednesday. In all, about 8000 hotel workers with United Here Local 2 were off the job.

The SF Multi-Employers Group is an organization that represents the hotels. They have been flying in management from around the country to prepare for the lockout.

"The group has been together for about ten years. They had an agreement amongst them that a strike against one was a strike against all," said Barbara French of the Hyatt Hotel.

The four hotels hit by the original strike were the Argent Hotel, the Crowne Plaza Union Square, the Hilton and the Mark Hopkins. The 10 hotels locking out workers were 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.

Workers say they are worried about their pension and wages, while the hotels say the sticking issue the length of the contract -- the hotels want a five-year contract, and the workers want a two-year deal, so they can renegotiate at the same time as other unions across the country.

"I want to retire in dignity," said Ann Hunt, one of the locked out workers. "I don't want to be going around picking cans out of the garbage so I can pay my medical bills."

Sarah Derby, who lives on Nob Hill, said that the rallies were just too loud.

"I have a one-year-old and a three-year-old, and we can't sleep. We're being held hostage," she said.

Hotel guests paid upwards of $300 a night for a lot of noise and reductions in service.

"I understand they have issues that need to be settled," said Kord Campbell, from Oklahoma. "They ought to sit down and work it out."

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