Strikes were also approved in Baltimore, Maryland; New Haven, Connecticut; Oakland, California; and Providence, Rhode Island; the union said the strikes could begin at any time.

The union has accused hotels of exploiting the COVID-19 pandemic to cut staff and guest services amid low demand, but have not resumed recruitment despite the resumption of tourism.

The response from hotels has not only caused workers to lose their jobs, it has also created difficult working conditions and increased the workload for those left on the front lines, it said.

The strike is said to be aimed at raising wages and reversing COVID-19 cuts, as well as improving working conditions and workloads.

“Ten thousand hotel workers across the United States are striking because the hospitality industry has gone off course,” Gwen Mills, international president of UNITE HERE, said in a statement.

“Everyone suffered during COVID, but now the hospitality industry is seeing record profits while employees and guests are being left behind.”

Mills said too many hotels have failed to return to pre-pandemic standards and services, affecting daily cleaning and room service, with staff having to take on second jobs to cope with the rising cost of living.

“Many can no longer afford to live in the cities where visitors come, and the painful workloads are wearing down their bodies,” Mills said.

“We will not accept a ‘new normal’ in which hospitality businesses profit by limiting what they offer to guests and abandoning their commitments to employees.”

On Sunday, the union’s social media accounts posted videos and photos showing pickets set up outside the hotels.

“Tick Tock! Time is up and we are beyond rewriting history,” UNITE HERE Local 26, a hotel workers union in Massachusetts and Rhode Island, said in a caption to a video showing workers picketing.

Senator Elizabeth Warren, a Democrat from Massachusetts, posted a message of support online.

“I stand in solidarity with Local 26 because one job should be enough,” she told X. “I support these workers right now who are fighting for a fair contract.”

Boston City Councilmember Ed Flynn described the strike as a fight for “social and economic justice for working families.”

“These working men and women of @UNITEDHERE 26 are on strike. They are fighting for a new contract and to be treated with dignity and respect,” he said in X.