UNITE HERE's Nevada affiliate, Culinary Union Local 226, had warned that if hotels aren't required to clean rooms daily, they will cut back, putting profits over jobs.
"We think the industry is attempting to change guests' behavior based on the pandemic, and we think that's bad for everyone," said the union's secretary-treasurer Ted Pappageorge. "Customers are still paying for first class service and first class rooms, but not getting the first class service."
...
Beyond jobs, cleaners worry about safety and security
UNITE HERE says the problem is cyclical. With fewer housekeepers on staff, it's a less attractive job.
Others spoke of how much harder it is to clean a room after several days.
"The linen is very heavy from the mountain of wet towels that have been piled up for days," housekeeper Rawanda Rogers told lawmakers. "We have a lot of party people in the rooms who trash the rooms, and it's so hard on my body."
The union says the Nevada legislature's repeal of the daily room cleaning requirement won't be the last word. As it's done elsewhere, the union plans to raise the issue in collective bargaining when its contract expires later this year.
"We think these may be strike issues, and we will fight for the very best contracts for our members," said Pappageorge.