. >> reporter: 20-year veteran martha pereira inspects hotel rooms for cleanliness after housekeepersre finished. >> the work is very hard, you know, because the ladies working, they cleaning a lot of rooms and some rooms they are so, so dirty. >> reporter: and sometimes dangerous. there was international coverage of a guest charged with misdemeanor sexual abuse for putting his hands on two mayflower hotel housekeepers. >> we have incident where people open the wrong doors and don't have on any clothes. >> reporter: local 25 negotiated panic buttons for its workers who often work alone. union surveys in some cities show more than half of hotel workers report abusive behavior from guests. >> there's closed doors, locked doors. we've had incidents in the history of hotels in this city and around the country. >> reporter: and not just women workers are at risk. >> men, we have housemen, room attendants that are male room attendants, so it's for all employees. >> reporter: hotel managers are also stepping up security efforts to protect their workers and their hotel reputations. in the dis