The Nation : Violence Mars Hotel Strike

As about 14,000 workers walked off their jobs at 45 of New York City’s top hotels, a dozen pickets were arrested and reports of violence and harassment led Vito Pitta, president of the nine-union Hotel and Motel Trades Council, to ask for a meeting with Mayor Edward I. Koch and Police Commissioner Benjamin Ward. Pickets crowded sidewalks and heckled newly hired replacements, bombarding guests with jeers, but the council blamed several instances of rock and bottle throwing on provocateurs. The walkout prompted the Regency, the Pierre, the Essex House and other noted hotels to replace bellhops, clerks, housekeepers and bartenders.