Workers as the Embassy Suites hotel in Irvine, Calif., staged a successful one-day strike on Aug. 9, despite the fact that they did not have any formal union representation. As the day went on, the picket line swelled, as workers at other hotels, student activists, and 200 Letter Carrier Union members arrived to show solidarity, defying police intimidation.
HEI, the corporation that owns the hotel, made $11 million in profit last year but refuses to give up $180,000 in back pay it owes the Embassy Suites workers. The workers are legally entitled to an hour’s wage, if they miss their unpaid lunch break or two paid 10-minute breaks. For years management systematically denied workers these brief respites, sparking the strike.
The capitalist class will take any opportunity to squeeze extra labor out of workers. The boldness that led to this wildcat strike and the working-class unity that helped make it a success are a model for oppressed people everywhere.
