SAN FRANCISCO -- Dozens of hotel workers were arrested Tuesday after staging a sit-in at the Hilton San Francisco as part of a protest by the employees who have been working without a contract since August.

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The arrests came after 37 workers and their supporters sat on the steps of the Hilton lobby, chanting and holding signs for about an hour. They were then taken away by the police before being cited and released.

"In the upcoming weeks, there will be more demonstrations, more protests and more action inside the hotels until they realize that their stalling is not going to dilute the determination to fight for a fair contract," said Lamoin Werlein-Jan, vice president of Local 2 of Unite Here, the hotel employees union.

Hundreds of workers and their supporters later marched from Union Square to the Hilton, heckling hotel guests who passed through a police line to enter the building.

The San Francisco Multi-Employer Group, the coalition of 14 hotels involved in the labor dispute, criticized the union's actions.

"Today's unlawful, disruptive behavior at the Hilton San Francisco is highly regrettable, yet it is also indicative of the total disinterest of Local 2 leadership to engage in productive negotiations," the statement said.

Union President Mike Casey was among those arrested Tuesday.

The union representing the workers began a two-week strike against four hotels on Sept. 29. The hotel operators promptly locked out all workers from the 14 hotels involved in the negotiations for 51/2 weeks.

Several issues are in dispute between the two sides, including wages, health care and the length of the contract.