Pittsburgh police arrested 16 people Thursday during a rush-hour rally Downtown after a line of protesters stood in a crosswalk, demonstrating against understaffing and layoffs in the hospitality industry.

More than 100 marchers gathered outside the David L. Lawrence Convention Center for the rally, held on behalf of UNITE HERE Local 57, a union that represents servers, housekeepers and other workers at the city's hotels and convention centers.

At about 5 p.m., a line of 10 workers and six organizers walked into Tenth Street and stood still for several minutes while police ordered them to disperse. Pittsburgh Police Sgt. James Vogel said all 16 were taken to the Allegheny County Jail.

Beatrice Binion, a 74-year-old concession stand worker who was arrested, said about one-third of her colleagues at the convention center and Mellon Arena had lost their jobs in recent years.

"They need to come out and hire more people, so we don't have to rush, we don't have to hurry the customers," said Ms. Binion, of East Liberty. "We want to feel ... that we are doing the very best that we can."

Joshua Wyland, a server at the Omni William Penn Hotel's Terrace Room, said he loved his job, but was rallying in solidarity.

"We're not going to let the recession be an excuse," said Mr. Wyland, 34, of Mount Washington. "You've got one man doing the job of two or three. That affects everyone, especially the guests."

The rally was part of a UNITE HERE effort in 15 cities across the U.S. and Canada, including Chicago, Los Angeles, Boston and Toronto. About 40 of Thursday's protesters traveled to Pittsburgh on a bus from Detroit.

Union organizers announced in advance that the protest would involve civil disobedience, and those who were arrested planned for the risk, receiving a pep talk from an organizer and carrying only their driver's licenses.

They waited calmly when police came to arrest them, placing plastic handcuffs on their wrists and leading them to vans.

Ms. Binion said she did not mind facing arrest, adding that her five children and 28 grandchildren knew what she was doing.

"It's for a reason," she said.

Four of those arrested worked for Meadows Racetrack and Casino, according to a list distributed by UNITE HERE.

The casino has added about 1,400 jobs since 2003, said spokesman David La Torre.

"We're very proud of our job expansion record in Pennsylvania," Mr. La Torre said.

Representatives from several city hotels and SMG, the company that manages the convention center, could not be reached for comment Thursday evening.

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