Analysis of Working Conditions and Sexual Threats Against Hotel Workers in Oakland

October 2, 2018

Hotel housekeepers, who are predominantly women of color, work in private spaces — including men’s hotel rooms. Over the course of August 2018, EBASE and Unite Here Local 2850 conducted two surveys of union and non-union hotel workers in Oakland, California. The first survey focused on the behavior of guests and management towards the workers. The second survey centered on working conditions, average workloads and breaks.

Together, these two surveys paint a picture of a workforce that is frequently subjected to sexually threatening behavior while managing backbreaking workloads that leave them exhausted and unable to fully participate in family and community life.

Key Findings

• More than half of the women surveyed had experienced a guest opening the door naked or exposing himself.

• 1 in 4 said guests had said or done something to make them feel unsafe.

• 101 incidents of flashing or exposure to nudity were reported by the 102 survey respondents.

• 68% reported having trouble sleeping through the night.