ONCE UPON A time, San Francisco's landmark hotels were owned by local families with roots in the city. Today, most San Francisco hotels are owned and managed by multinational corporations with little knowledge of our communities and less concern for their well-being.

Most San Franciscans are aware that 14 of the city's largest hotels locked out workers last year rather than negotiating a contract. Many San Franciscans are also under the impression that the issue was settled, particularly after Mayor Gavin Newsom threw his support behind the workers and joined the picket line.

Sadly, the 4,300 workers locked out last year are still fighting for a contract, one that would include affordable health care, modest wage increases, decent pensions and the right for workers to decide for themselves, without intimidation from management, if they want to be part of a union. The union is also seeking to line up contracts nationally, recognizing that negotiating with national hotel chains requires a national strategy to expand the impact of local strikes and boycotts.

The hotel industry has gone on the offensive against its workers. Despite corporate profits expected to exceed $20 billion in 2005, national hotel corporations have accelerated their efforts to divide their workforce and drive down the living standards of their employees. Here in San Francisco, national hotel companies locked out local workers for seven and a half weeks and continue to disregard the long-term interests of workers and our city.

On September 15, 2004, San Francisco union members voted overwhelmingly to authorize a strike and boycott against the Multi-Employer Group of hotels: Argent, Crowne Plaza, Four Seasons, Fairmont, Grand Hyatt, Hilton, Holiday Inn Civic Center, Holiday Inn Express, Holiday Inn Fisherman's Wharf, Hyatt Regency, Mark Hopkins, Omni, Palace, and the Westin St. Francis.

Boycotts are a powerful weapon for workers and communities. From the Montgomery bus boycott to the Coors beer boycott, from the textile factories of J.P. Stevens to the vineyards of California, boycotts have advanced the cause of workers and mobilized communities to oppose discrimination.

The union representing the hotel workers, UNITE HERE Local 2, has a long a history of fighting for working people in San Francisco. The union standard means the difference between welfare jobs and livable wages. When the lowest-paid workers win union contracts, the entire community benefits because nonunion hotels and restaurants must compete for employees and offer their workers comparable pay. Lifting working standards brings workers closer to a living wage and reduces dependency on welfare and public-health services paid for with tax dollars.

Local 2 was one of the first unions in the nation to take up the cause of HIV-positive workers, leading the effort to provide quality health care and oppose discrimination. Local 2 has consistently supported candidates and causes important to the many diverse communities of our city, reaching out to work with children's advocates, gay and lesbian rights organizations, senior citizens, neighborhood groups, and others seeking positive change. Local 2 has also pushed organized labor forward on issues affecting African Americans, gays and lesbians, immigrants, and other disenfranchised communities.

Nationwide, UNITE HERE is one of several major unions seeking to revitalize the labor movement.

Hotel workers – the dishwashers, room cleaners, servers, cooks, bellhops, receptionists, and others – are the backbone of San Francisco's tourism industry. Without their hard work, virtually every sector of our local economy would be damaged. These men and women seek only the paychecks, job security, and health care required to support their families and live with dignity. They deserve our support and respect.

Support the San Francisco hotel workers. Don't patronize boycotted hotels. Encourage visitors to stay in hotels with union contracts. If you belong to associations or organizations that book hotel facilities, urge your group to honor and endorse the boycott. When the workers win – and they will – it will be a victory for all San Franciscans.

Cleve Jones, founder of the NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt, is a longtime San Francisco activist, recently returned from exile in southern California.