San Francisco, CA
These Detroit Lions fans from Windsor, Ont., are in San Francisco for a 'roar' trip of a lifetime | CBC News
Windsor, Ont., couple Jim Raymond and Kathy McCann knew this season would be different for the Detroit Lions.
In fact, the diehard fans were so sure of it that Raymond bought an RV spot for the Super Bowl in Las Vegas in February after the team won its first game of the season in September, against the reigning Super Bowl champs, the Kansas City Chiefs.
“His positivity has worked,” McCann laughed.
Now, the two are in San Francisco with tickets for Sunday’s history-making match between the Lions and the 49ers in the National Football Conference (NFC) championship — the last game standing between the team and the Super Bowl.
“Right after they beat the Bucks last Sunday, I got on StubHub, bought [four] tickets … and I sent a text to Kathy with a copy of the ticket as well,” Raymond said about Detroit’s home win last weekend against the Tamp Bay Buccaneers in the divisional round game. “She turned around and looked at me and said, ‘What?’ I said, ‘Yeah, we’re going to San Francisco for the game.’”
They’re both retired and spend part of each year in Arizona. But they’ve always been massive Lions fans and had season tickets for years.
Earlier this week, Raymond and McCann hit the road from Arizona to San Francisco in anticipation of the game — naturally, decked out in Lions gear.
“I thought I’d get beat up, but no, not yet,” Raymond said.
“One [conversation] that sticks out the most to me was they [49ers fans] said, ‘You know what, we would rather lose to the Lions than get beat by Baltimore or Kansas City, so we are hoping, if we were to get beat, we hope it’s the Lions.’”
“Everybody’s kind of behind the Lions in a sense, even if it’s not their team,” McCann said. “With the drought and everything, everyone’s very supportive.”
It’s the first time in 32 years that Detroit has made it to the NFC championship and just the second time in franchise history.
While Sunday’s game would be a trek for many Detroit fans, Raymond said he expects to see plenty of them because it’ll be the first opportunity in a lifetime for many to see the team play at this level.
McCann said she’s looking forward to a Lions victory, but also the experience — a “mini Super Bowl” of sorts.
To this, Raymond quietly disagrees — it’s not the Super Bowl until it’s the Super Bowl, he said.
The pair plans to spend the weekend sightseeing in San Francisco before the big game. Raymond said he has just one worry.
“We’ve had a great time,” he said. “We’re going to tour Alcatraz tomorrow and when you go in the cell — because we’re all going to have our Lions stuff on — I hope they don’t lock us up and keep us in there, because we do want to go to the game.”
San Francisco, CA
St. Anthony's Foundation serves Christmas Day meals in San Francisco
San Francisco, CA
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.
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.
San Francisco, CA
San Francisco hotel workers approve new contract, ending 3-month strike
SAN FRANCISCO — San Francisco Hilton hotel workers who have been on strike for the past three months voted Tuesday to approve a new union contract.
The approval by Unite Here Local 2 in San Francisco settles the last of three hotel strikes in San Francisco this year, union officials said.
The strikes at Marriott, Hyatt and Hilton hotels throughout the city began in the fall. Marriott workers reached agreements on Thursday, with Hyatt doing the same on Friday.
San Francisco Hyatt Hotel union workers unanimously approve new contract
The Hilton agreement is the same as those ratified by striking Hyatt and Marriott workers last week, according to Ted Waechter, spokesperson for the Unite Here Local 2 union.
The agreement applies to about 900 workers, 650 of which have been on strike for over three months, according to Waechter. The hotels include the Hilton San Francisco Union Square and about 250 workers at Hilton’s Parc 55 hotel, who had been prepared to go on strike.
All the deals with hotels include keeping the workers’ health plan, wage increases, and protections against understaffing and workload increases.
Many of the 2,500 hotel workers had been striking for about 93 days, picketing daily in Union Square, which is the site of a Hilton and the nearby Grand Hyatt on Stockton Street.
SF Hyatt Hotel union workers on strike to vote on ratifying tentative agreement for new contract
“These 93 days have not been easy, and I’m so proud that my coworkers and I never gave up,” said Bill Fung, a housekeeping attendant at the Hilton San Francisco Union Square for 29 years. “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.”
Hilton media representatives did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
San Francisco Mayor-elect Daniel Lurie on Tuesday issued a statement welcoming an end to the strike, saying it came just in time for the holiday season and allows workers to return to work for key events such as the JP Morgan Health Care Conference and NBA All-Star Game.
Unite Here Local 2 represents about 15,000 hotel, airport and food service workers in San Francisco and San Mateo counties and represented the striking hotel workers.
Copyright 2024 by Bay City News, Inc. Republication, re-transmission or reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. Is prohibited.
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