Leigh Shelton, a representative for hotel workers' union UNITE HERE Local 11, says Hernandez has long been a top leader for workers' rights. She's spoken to community groups and women's groups on behalf of the union, and met with clergy and elected officials. She's testified before the National Labor Relations Board, and she participated in a weeklong strike last fall protesting excessive housekeeper workloads.

Then, on March 8, she was active in several protests in honor of International Women's Day. UNITE HERE Community Coordinator Annemarie Strassel told me that especially since Dominique Strauss-Kahn's alleged assault of hotel worker Nafissatou Diallo last year, the union has been highlighting the ways in which hotel workers' issues are also women's issues. Yesterday, the union participated in a tweetchat against sexual assault and domestic violence, tweeting this plea from a worker: “Guests should treat us, the housekeepers, the same way they treat their mothers or sisters or any woman they value.” So given Hernandez's previous activism, a protest on International Women's Day was a natural fit. She passed out leaflets in front of the Andaz in support of Marta and Lorena Reyes, two sisters who were fired from the Hyatt in Santa Clara, CA after complaining about sexual harassment.