Portside

The battle at the Hyatt is a proxy over whose interests will prevail in the new Buffalo: wealthy developers who receive lush subsidies or workers fighting for good union jobs in industries like leisure and hospitality that prop up the city’s revival.

The strike comes as 40,000 Unite Here hotel workers across 20 cities face expiring contracts this year. Negotiations for new four-year contracts have been taking place since May; about 15,000 of those workers have authorized strikes in 12 markets.

"We’re asking and fighting for what we deserve," a worker says before strike votes this week from Boston to Honolulu.

"The message of today is we are sick and tired of the greed of corporate America," Sen. Bernie Sanders said at a union rally in downtown Los Angeles.

The strike is part of a wave of recent labor actions in the nation’s second-largest metropolis, where high costs of living have made it difficult for many workers — from housekeepers to Hollywood writers — to stay afloat.

The deal boosts some wages to $31 an hour. It reflects pressure hotels face to raise pay amid inflation and labor shortages. The hike is closing the gap between the 7,000 covered suburban workers and their union counterparts in New York City.