San Francisco, CA
SF residents concerned city's plan to address sex work will just migrate issue
In San Francisco’s Mission District on Capp Street, sex work was such a problem that traffic barriers were installed to break up the flow of drivers in the area looking to pay for sex. Now, it’s become a problem Juan Gallardo is dealing with because the sex work has moved right outside his restaurant on Shotwell and 18th Streets.
“A lot of mess here in my parklet,” he said. “
This week, the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency voted to treat Shotwell St. similarly to that done at Capp.
The SFMTA said new temporary midblock barriers will be placed for 18 months between 19th and 21st streets.
However, residents aren’t convinced the dividers will fix the problem.
“I would assume it’s just moving people around. It’s not changing any enforcement, making it more inconvenient in certain places,” said Garrett Kiel, who lives in the Mission.
Supervisor Hillary Ronen expressed similar concerns. Though, Ronen pushed for the Capp St. bollards.
“It was out of control, and we had to intervene immediately,” she said in a late August news release with the Mayor’s Office.
Ronen said the aged-old issue in the Mission is far more complicated and deserves more nuanced solutions like finding safe alternative work for women or decriminalized sex work.
“None of these are quick fixes, which is I know what the neighbors want, and I understand that,” Ronen said. “I do not think the solution is to barricade off every street in the Mission.”
Many residents, who did not wish to be identified, agreed with Ronan.
Earlier this year, a group of residents and business owners filed a lawsuit against the city for allegedly allowing prostitution, public intoxication, and other ills to run rampant in their neighborhood.
The suit, filed in August, describes unrelenting public and private nuisances along Shotwell Street between 19th and 21st.
For Gallardo, it’s about the safety of his family.
“I have my wife, and I have my daughter, and I’m not comfortable with that,” he said.
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.
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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