SF hotel workers strike prompts law school association to move annual conference to new location

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- A massive hotel workers strike in San Francisco is starting to impact upcoming conferences.

The Association of American Law Schools originally planned to hold its annual meeting at the Hilton and Parc 55 in San Francisco from Jan. 7 to Jan. 11. But because of the labor dispute, AALS announced it was moving everything over to the Moscone Center instead.

AALS is expecting around 2,500 attendees according to its website.

This comes as workers at six San Francisco hotels near three months on the picket lines, demanding better wages, improved staffing and more affordable healthcare.

RELATED: 500 San Francisco hotel workers hit picket lines Thanksgiving week, joining 2,000 already on strike

"Three months, in the cold and rain," said Santiago Hernandez, a banquet server at the Hilton San Francisco.

In a letter to attendees, Kellye Testy, the AALS Executive Director and CEO said, "We know that members of our community represent a wide range of views, and we will not ask our attendees to cross a picket line."

"I think it's really admirable for an organization like that to say, 'We're not going to cross picket lines. We're not going disrespect workers. We're going to keep our business here in beautiful San Francisco, but we're going to do it in a way where it doesn't prolong this fight where workers are trying to fight for their families for medical benefits' and things like that," said Lizzy Tapia, president of Unite Here Local 2.

Tapia is president of the union representing more than 2,500 hotel workers on strike.

She says more often than not, hotel companies aren't notifying guests of current labor disputes. But she hopes this will help light a fire under the feet of hotel leaders at the bargaining table.

RELATED: Nearly 1,500 San Francisco hotel workers go on strike: Here's what they're asking for

"We've moved a lot of business out of the hotels, and we're going to continue to do that. There are some really important events coming up in the first quarter of 2025," Tapia said. "The JP Morgan Convention is here, the NBA All Stars here in San Francisco."

Meanwhile, workers--like Santiago Hernandez, a banquet server of 28 years at the Hilton--continue their fight on the picket line.

"We want a fair contract. We want the corporation to hear that we love our job, but we also need something in return," Hernandez said.

The union says it met with hotel leadership about three weeks ago to negotiate for the first time after 52 days on strike, but that the hotels failed to guarantee union medical benefits.