Every morning on our way to work, we raise a fist in support of the locked out hotel workers. Today we were looking forward to the last day of the strike, when picketers could expect to return to their jobs tomorrow after their two week walk-out. Alas, talks went nowhere and management is taking a hard line, continuing the lockout past the end of the strike date.

So tourists and scabs will have to continue crossing the picket line, neighbors and guests will continue to complain about noise, and workers will continue to forgo paychecks - in other words, if you're going to blame someone, blame management, because they're the ones being intransigent. True, the UniteHere Local 2 hasn't given up much ground in terms of their demands, but they haven't even had a chance to sit down across the table and begin discussion.

After his fundraising speech for Democrats early yesterday, the Rev. Jesse Jackson headed over to Union Square to speak at a rally in support of striking workers, and John Edwards joined a picket line. Gavin Newsom has also urged both sides to return to the table. The worker's demands remain unchanged - firstly, that they reset the contract cycle to coincide with other UniteHere locals across the country, and secondly, that employers don't triple the cost of their basic health plan over the course of five years.