Portside

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.

The concerns of hotel workers come at a time when jobs once reserved for people are increasingly being replaced by machines and mobile phone apps. It’s no longer just factory workers being replaced by robots — or even cashiers and clerks.

The hotel strike on Oahu could put a damper on events coming to Hawaii this week. The American Dental Association’s meeting is bringing some 16,200 attendees. Many of whom will be staying at hotels on strike.

“There is no end date. It’s an indefinite strike until we achieve our demands,” says Anand Singh, president of the union's Local 2 in San Francisco.