SAN FRANCISCO — Two months after their contracts expired, hundreds of striking San Francisco hotel workers were arrested as they demonstrated for higher wages and better benefits.

The arrests took place around 5 p.m. Wednesday, as union members sat in the middle of a crowded street after a march that began near the Hilton Union Square, the city’s largest hotel.

Demonstrators wore red T-shirts, honked air horns and chanted “No contract, no peace.”

Police officers escorted the arrested protesters to a sheriff’s bus parked nearby. San Francisco Chronicle reported.

Unite Here Local 2 union announced on Thursday that 85 of its members were detained.

More than 2,000 unionized workers are demanding better pay and better benefits after their employment contracts expire in August.

Union members had previously blocked traffic and staged sit-ins during hotel communications disputes in 2018, 2010 and 2005. , This led to arrests, the Chronicle reported.

Unite Here Local 2 said it has not met with hotel operators such as Hyatt, Hilton and Marriott since August. A Hyatt official told the newspaper that the union has not taken action to restart bargaining since the strike began last month.

The union said it would abandon guaranteed wage increases and instead tie them to hotel revenues.

“Hotel workers love San Francisco and want to help our city recover,” Lizzy Tapia, president of Unite Here Local 2, said in a statement. “In August, we even offered to waive guaranteed wage increases and make payments tied to hotel profits, challenging hotels to match our investment and reverse COVID-era cuts.”

The strike includes Grand Hyatt San Francisco, Marriott Union Square, Palace Hotel and Westin St. It includes major hotels like St. Francis as well as the Hilton Union Square.

“We are disappointed that Unite Here Local 2 is continuing the strike and that Hyatt is willing to continue bargaining in good faith. At this time, Unite Here Local 2 has not contacted us to continue bargaining since the start of the strike,” said Michael D’Angelo, Hyatt’s president of labor relations for the Americas.

D’Angelo said hotels have plans in place to minimize the impact on hotel operations related to strike activity.