By Jesse Russell

As hotels become more extravagant, injury rates have increased. That's according to a study by UNITE-Here called "Creating Luxury, Enduring Pain." After examining 87 unionized hotels - including Hiltons, Hyatts and Marriots - the study found that during the last three years 30 percent of all injuries at hotels were experienced by housekeepers - a jump of four percent since 2001. The housekeepers experience injuries at twice the rate of other hotel workers. This year is important for UNITE-Here as the union faces multiple hotel contract expirations in major cities across the country. The union is hoping to use the nationwide expirations as leverage in helping raise wages and address many of the concerns raised in the study. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that the average take home for a housekeeper in the United States is $17,310 per year.