San Francisco, CA

Mid-Market Street businesses brace for Musk moving X out of San Francisco

Published

5 months ago

August 6, 2024

Mid-Market Street businesses brace for Musk moving X out of San Francisco

SAN FRANCISCO — Jen Hall has owned The Beer Hall off Polk Street in San Francisco for 11 years.

“We opened 11 years ago today. We opened in 2013 and so, yeah, we’re just trying to be a cornerstone for this neighborhood,” Hall said.

The Beer Hall is right across from X’s headquarters and, back in 2013 when the company was called Twitter, Jen says this area was the place to be.

“It was definitely the heyday. When we opened, Twitter was here, it was sort of a tech hub. There were other tech offices, residential buildings were going up and there were just a lot more people,” Hall said.

Jen says they used to partner with Twitter, providing beverage services for the building and hosting happy hours for their employees.

Things were going great, then the pandemic hit.

“The streets, it’s just not the same. People aren’t going out anymore,” Hall said.

Jen says the work-from-home mandates gutted the neighborhood and their business.

When Elon Musk bought Twitter and started moving things around Jen says that only added to the issues. Now that Musk has announced X is officially leaving the city, Jen says the worst of the impact is probably already behind them.

“He’s been pretty vocal about his disdain for San Francisco and its current state. Honestly, it’s been bad news for this neighborhood for the past four years,” Hall said.

Now Jen says she just wants to focus on the future. Her business continues to chug along and they’re hoping other businesses in the area can do the same.

“I certainly hope that people will come back. I think that small businesses are the heart of San Francisco. That’s why people want to live here and stay here,” Hall said.

Jen says it’ll certainly be sad to see what once was such an iconic building sit vacant but she’s hopeful it’ll find a new tenant and this neighborhood will find a new energy.

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San Francisco, CA

San Francisco celebrates Christmas, first night of Hanukkah

Published

3 hours ago

December 26, 2024

Press Room

San Francisco celebrates Christmas, first night of Hanukkah

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San Francisco, CA

St. Anthony's Foundation serves Christmas Day meals in San Francisco

Published

13 hours ago

December 25, 2024

Press Room

St. Anthony's Foundation serves Christmas Day meals in San Francisco

This Christmas, St. Anthony’s Foundation in San Francisco continues its nearly 75-year legacy of service and compassion, bringing hope and community to the city’s most vulnerable by serving a festive meal to anyone who wants one. Veronica Macias reports.

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San Francisco, CA

San Francisco hotel workers agree pay rise after 3-month strike

Published

23 hours ago

December 25, 2024

Press Room

San Francisco hotel workers agree pay rise after 3-month strike

What’s New

Hilton hotel workers in San Francisco voted on Christmas Eve to approve a new union contract after a 93-day strike, according to the Unite Here Local 2 union.

The union, which represents about 15,000 workers in the region, announced that the deal settles the last of the city’s 2024 hotel strikes, covering approximately 900 Hilton workers.

Newsweek has contacted Unite Here Local 2 and Hilton via email for comment.

San Francisco Union Square Hilton Hotel workers strike on September 3, 2024. Workers voted on Christmas Eve to approve a new union contract after a 93-day strike, according to the Unite Here Local 2 union.

Justin Sullivan/ASSOCIATED PRESS

Why It Matters

The new contracts after this year’s strikes establish significant improvements in wages, health care and workload protections for workers at Hilton, Hyatt and Marriott-operated hotels.

The agreements conclude months of labor unrest that involved thousands of workers and disrupted San Francisco’s hotel industry.

What To Know

Hilton workers voted 99.4 percent in favor of the agreement on Christmas Eve, which includes a $3 per hour immediate wage increase, additional raises, and protections against understaffing and increased workloads.

The four-year contract preserves affordable union health insurance and provides pension increases. The deal covers workers at Hilton San Francisco Union Square and Parc 55, with 650 workers having actively participated in the strike.

This agreement follows similar contracts reached with Hyatt workers on Friday and Marriott workers last Thursday, covering a total of 2,500 workers who had been on strike since late September.

What People Are Saying

Bill Fung, a housekeeping attendant at Hilton San Francisco Union Square for 29 years, said: “These 93 days have not been easy, and I’m so proud that my coworkers and I never gave up. We stood together through the rain and cold, and even though there were some hard days, it was all worth it. We will go back to work with our health care, good raises, and the confidence of knowing that when we fight, we win.”

Lizzy Tapia, President of Unite Here Local 2, said: “Hilton, Hyatt, and Marriott workers refused to give up their health care or go backwards – and we proved on the picket line that we’re not afraid of a tough fight. As contract talks begin with the city’s other full-service hotels in the new year, they should know that this is the new standard they must accept for their own employees.”

San Francisco Mayor-elect Daniel Lurie said on X: “All those that have been out on strike will be back to work, and just in time for Christmas. So, things are looking bright as we head into 2025.

What Happens Next

Unite Here Local 2 said it would push for other full-service hotels in San Francisco to adopt the same standards established by the Hilton, Hyatt, and Marriott agreements when contract negotiations resume in 2025.

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