Union hotel workers at Marriott-operated Westin Book Cadillac in downtown Detroit voted to authorize a strike Monday after ongoing contract negotiations failed to reach an agreement.

The vote could mean that members of Unite Here Local 24, which represents Michigan and Ohio, could refuse to show up to work at any given moment, disrupting hotel operations, bookings and scheduled events.

The contracts of 160 hotel workers have been in limbo since June 30, leading to frustration, said Nia Winston, Local 24 president.

Negotiations started in early June, and since then, the union sought greater job security and wage increases as the hotel industry continues to be impacted by technology and automation.

"The workers are the ones who make sure the customers come back every single day," Winston said. "But they don't even make enough money to buy a home in the city that they live in."

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The employees who voted to authorize the strike hold various positions at the hotel, from bellmen to housekeepers and restaurant staff to front desk receptionists, according to Unite Here spokeswoman Kate Kelly.

Westin Book Cadillac and Marriott hotels spokesperson sent the following statement: "Through many years of working with Unite Here, we have always taken the negotiation process seriously and reached agreements. We have no reason to believe that this negotiation process will be any different. We respect the right of our associates to voice their opinions on issues that are important to them. Should the union and our employees choose to strike, our hotels will continue to operate and work to minimize any disruption and to provide the excellent service that our guests have come to expect."

The Detroit strike authorization is the seventh city where the Marriott workers union has done the same, following Chicago, San Jose, Calif., San Francisco, Honolulu and Boston. Nationwide, more than 8,500 workers have voted to authorize a strike.

Winston, who has been in the Detroit hospitality industry for more than two decades, said many Westin employees have more than one job, sometimes two or three, in order to make ends meet.

“In 2008 when this hotel reopened during the recession, workers got very minimal wages for a long period of time,” Winston said. “Now that we are out of the recession and Detroit is doing well, our workers should now be rewarded for staying through those tough times.”