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 ATLANTA // August 7, 2006 Atlanta Hotel Boycott Continues The UNITE HERE boycott of the InterContinental Buckhead and Indigo hotels in Atlanta, GA continues. Members of Atlanta’s religious and labor community have supported the boycott for over a year and a half, in solidarity with San Francisco hotel workers. Over four thousand San Francisco hotel workers were locked out of their jobs for 53 days in late 2004. InterContinental was the driving force behind the lockout and the proposal to severely increase worker health insurance payments. The corporation initially appealed the state’s awarding of unemployment benefits to locked out hotel workers. InterContinental, along with other hotel companies, rejected requests by the Mayor and clergy members to end the lockout, and prevented workers from using joint company-union funds for health coverage during the lockout. The InterContinental Hotels Group is among the largest hotel corporations in the world. The company operates five of the fourteen hotels that were involved in the San Francisco lockout. The company operates two hotels in Atlanta: the flagship InterContinental Buckhead and the Hotel Indigo. Neither hotel is unionized.
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BOSTON //
April 26, 2007 Boston Park Plaza, Sheraton Boston, Westin Waterfront and Westin Copley Hotels All Agree to Contract! After more than six months of negotiations, a contract agreement has been reached between
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CHICAGO //
June 15, 2007 Congress Hotel Strike Four-Year Anniversary Rally June 15th (Unite Here)
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DETROIT //
August 2, 2006 Detroit Hotel Workers in Negotiations Detroit hotel workers are currently in negotiations with the Airport Westin (Starwoods), Kingsley Radisson hotel, Southfield Westin hotel, and Hilton Garden Inn. Negotiations will begin in the fall with the Hyatt and Marriott. On August 18, Hotel workers are planning a contract rally with delegates to the A. Phillip Randolph Conference.
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HONOLULU //
October 11, 2006 Hilton Hawaiian Village Workers Reach Tentative Contract After more than four months of negotiations, UNITE HERE! Local 5 and the Hilton Hawaiian Village announced this morning that they have reached a tentative agreement on a new contract for the more than 1,500 union members employed at the Hilton Hawaiian Village. “On Saturday, the negotiating committee voted to recommend ratification by the membership,” said Eric Gill, UNITE HERE! Local 5 Financial Secretary-Treasurer. “We are very proud of this new agreement, and believe it will help bring Hawaii’s hotel workers into the middle class,” he added. Lois Tanaka, a single mom who works as a waitress at the Hilton Hawaiian Village said, “this agreement means a lot to me. It’s about taking care of the employees. It’s about doing what’s right, and it’s about recognizing that we are an important part of the Hilton’s success.” Dolores Reyes, a housekeeper at the Hilton Hawaiian Village said, “as a housekeeper I am proud of the hard work I do everyday to support tourism in Hawaii. I am proud of my union and I am proud of this agreement.” With this new agreement with the Hilton in-hand, the struggle now turns towards securing fair contracts for an additional 5,000 hotel workers in Waikiki. Wai Man Chan, a housekeeper employed at the Hyatt Regency Waikiki since 1992 said, “this is a great agreement, and we call on the other Laulima Council Members (Hyatt and Marriott) to do the right thing and sign a fair contract. Hyatt and Marriott workers deserve the same wages and benefits as Hilton workers. We have always been one city with one union and one contract.” “We’ve said all along that our goal this year was to secure good middle class hotel jobs for a Hawaii our children can afford to live in, and this agreement sets a new standard that will help us achieve this goal not only at the Hilton but at the Sheratons and every other major hotel in Waikiki,” said Rod Kane, a cook at the Sheraton Princess Kaiulani Hotel. Talks between UNITE HERE! Local 5 and the four Sheraton hotels in Waikiki resume on Tuesday, October 10th.
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LOS ANGELES //
December 10, 2006 Diary of the Living Wage Fast – Day 4 Tonight it rained hard, really hard. We moved everyone to the dry and warm Union office for the night. Earlier in the day, two health professionals checked vital signs and found that four fasters had dangerously low levels of blood sugar. Normal blood sugar levels are between 80 and 120. Our folks had low 40’s and one in the 30’s. According to the nurse, these levels could lead to fainting or worse. After serious deliberation, these fasters decided to drink apple juice to increase the blood sugar. Nights are particularly challenging. Sleeping in tents along busy Century Boulevard in chilly temperatures is taking its toll. Yet everyone remains in good spirits, still talking and laughing. They are tired and in pain but greet everyone with a smile and tell them that they are doing fine. As energy decreases, they have become less ambulatory. Folding chairs are where they spend most of their time. Last night, students from several local universities led a spirited rally, which was followed by an even more spirited concert, with acts ranging from the revolutionary rappers with bandanna-covered faces to aspiring folk singers and poets. Several of the fasters danced during the performance. Today, the focus was on the community. They led an inspiring program, connecting clearly the fight with the community. Many teachers from the area participated. With each day, we add a “wall” of support. Workers have filled two Wall of Dreams with their photos and dreams. Now, we have walls for political, community, and student support. Support has started to come in strange ways. Someone dropped off seven sleeping bags and cases of water. A teacher drove up when it was raining and gave us an enormous tarp for protection from the downpour. Co-workers visit at all hours to see how their friends are doing. The fasters’ passion has become even more focused and intense. One guest came out of the Hilton LAX to find out what was going on. Six fasters patiently told him why they were there, and he end up writing a note of support on one of the walls.
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MONTEREY //
November 9, 2006 Two More Contract Victories! Monterey Beach Resort and Bay Park Hotel Monterey Beach Resort and Bay Park Hotel workers, members of UNITEHERE! Local 483, finalized 4-year labor contracts covering a total of 130 employees. The contract terms are nearly identical to those previously negotiated between Local 483 and Global Hyatt Corporation in September, which called for $5 per hour in new wages and benefits over the life of the contract in addition to increases in paid holidays and reductions in housekeeper workloads. Housekeepers, whose base hourly wages alone will increase from $10.85 to $13.40, will see their total wage and benefit package rise by more than a third. Paola Santos, a housekeeper at the Monterey Beach Resort, pointed to the maintenance of employee and family health insurance as a highlight of the new contract, “I have two kids, so I'm really happy we are keeping our health plan going. So many nonunion workers are struggling with insurance bills. I also like the security of a contract that lasts 4 years.” Over 500 more hotel employees will be affected by the terms of 5 other Monterey Bay hotel contracts that remain to be negotiated this year. These expired or expiring Union agreements are at the Asilomar Conference Center, Hilton Garden Inn, Pine Inn, La Playa Hotel, and Quail Lodge.
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NEW JERSEY //
September 29, 2006 Crowne Plaza workers in Secaucus demand: Give us back our vacation & sick days! On September 26, hundreds of community members joined union hotel workers near the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Secaucus, NJ to rally for justice. When Montreal-based Rosdev Group purchased the Crowne Plaza hotel in 2004, the new owners attempted to treat long-time union members as new employees and erased their seniority banks. The UNITE HERE Local 96 members are now fighting to regain what’s theirs. “The company needs to treat us with respect,” room attendant Debbie Sullivan told the lively crowd. “I haven’t gotten paid for the vacation and sick days I earned, said room attendant Gloria Alvarez. “We’re demanding what’s fair.” Union members who rallied in solidarity included: UNITE HERE, New Jersey Regional Council of Carpenters, SEIU Local 32BJ, Laborers International Union, Health Professionals and Allied Employees (HPAE), New Jersey Jobs With Justice, New Jersey ACORN, Communications Workers of America, and Northwest Flight Attendants ASA/CWA.
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NEW YORK //
July 31, 2006 NYC Hotel Workers Win Contract with NYC Hilton & Waldorf=Astoria
The New York Hotel and Motel Trades Council reached a new contract with the Hilton New York and Waldorf=Astoria Hotels, and also announced a five-year agreement with UNITE HERE that the parties have termed a "Partnership for Future Growth."
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PITTSBURGH //
May 30, 2007 Forest City Hotel Workers Take to the Streets Several hundred UNITE HERE members and their supporters marched to the Westin Convention Center Hotel in Pittsburgh to draw attention to ongoing contract negotiations. Contracts with the Forest City-owned and Starwood-operated Sheraton Station Square expired in March; the contract with the Westin expires on June 30.
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PUERTO RICO //
August 1, 2006 Puerto Rico Hotel Workers Rally Danny Glover helped launch a campaign to rally Puerto Rico’s hotel workers to join UNITE HERE and gain better pay and benefits. Glover joined leaders of the Gastronomical Union, which represents about 2,100 employees at nine hotels in the U.S. territory, to call for the island’s hospitality workers to unite under a single banner. “The union’s fight is to construct a world in which we want to live,” Glover said at a news conference Sunday at the Condado Plaza Hotel & Casino in the capital of San Juan. In Puerto Rico, about 8,000 hospitality workers do not belong to any organized union, said representatives of UNITE HERE.
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ROCHESTER //
October 2, 2006 Workers at Crowne Plaza Continue Fight for Respect Workers at the Crowne Plaza in Rochester are continuing their fight for respect on the job, and the Rochester community has responded with a strong show of support. The campaign has led to an unprecedented coalition of religion and labor in Rochester. Area religious leaders crafted a set of Rochester Organizing Principles to govern company and union behavior. The clergy sent these principles to Dr. Tzong-jer Wei, the owner of the Crowne Plaza, and to Paul Kremp, the general manager. They also requested a meeting to discuss the principles. When the meeting deadline passed with no response, a clergy delegation visited Kremp in his office to present the principles in person and to request a meeting. They received no response. On July 24, more than 400 union members and community leaders gathered at Antioch Baptist Church in Rochester to support the Crowne Plaza workers. The workers met before the rally for a listening session with Rochester Mayor Bob Duffy, ministers from across the Rochester area, and UNITE HERE leaders Bruce Raynor and John Wilhelm. During the rally, the Rochester Regional Joint Board signed on to the clergy's organizing principles, and Crowne bellman/van driver David Prysock made an impassioned statement in support of the right to organize. Days after the rally, a delegation of workers and clergy paid a second visit to Kremp. The workers went to present hundreds of postcards signed by the people of Rochester calling for a meeting with between Wei and the workers. The clergy went to support the workers, and to hold Kremp and Wei accountable for their failure to meet with the clergy. Kremp locked himself in his office and refused to talk to the delegation. Later that day, he called a member of the clergy and said he would never meet with them to discuss the principles. On Labor Day, more than 3,000 union members, allies, and elected officials, including Rochester Mayor Duffy, marched through downtown Rochester carrying signs reading ROCHESTER HOTEL WORKERS NEED A UNION! The parade was rerouted to pass in front of all three downtown hotels, ending near the Crowne Plaza. Crowne workers were the focus of the annual Labor Day press conference, and also the focus of a very positive story in the local daily paper several days later. The organizing committee continues to be strong and active, and the community continues its solidarity.
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SACRAMENTO //
October 12, 2006 Sacramento Workers Rally On Wednesday, October 4, Sacramento hotel workers held their first rally outside the Sheraton, and it sent a strong signal to all five hotels with contracts expiring this year. Over 150 workers and community allies drummed, chanted and picketed outside the hotel with signs saying "Our kids deserve healthcare" and "We should not be working in pain." The rally, which came after four months of negotiations, was covered on TV and radio and in the Sacramento Business Journal. Next week, on Thursday, October 19th, we'll be back even bigger and louder. As a community delegation told hotel management the day after the rally, we’ll keep coming back until we win contracts with the wage, healthcare, and workload improvements that workers deserve and that a hotel that has averaged over a million dollars a month in profit can afford. The rally will be at 4:30 PM outside the Sheraton (13th & J, Downtown Sacramento) on Thursday, October 19th.
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SAN FRANCISCO //
September 24, 2006 San Francisco Hotel Workers Ratify New Union Contract On September 22, 2006, San Francisco hotel workers voted 99% in favor of ratifying a new union contract. The contract covers more than 4,200 workers at 13 San Francisco Class A hotels. The new contract includes wage, pension and health care benefit improvements as well as language that protects the rights of workers at newly built or acquired hotels if they want to join the union and new rules to reduce workloads that have caused injuries in the workplace. The contract covers workers at 13 hotels, which were represented by the San Francisco Multi-Employer Group (MEG) during contract negotiations, including: Crowne Plaza San Francisco Union Square, Fairmont San Francisco, Four Seasons San Francisco, Grand Hyatt San Francisco, Hilton San Francisco, Holiday Inn Civic Center Hotel; Holiday Inn Express & Suites Fisherman's Wharf; Holiday Inn at Fisherman's Wharf; the Palace Hotel; Hyatt Regency San Francisco, Intercontinental Mark Hopkins San Francisco, Omni San Francisco ans Westin St. Francis. Contract negotiations covering an additional 5,000 workers at more than 40 hotels and motels will soon commence shortly.
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SEATTLE //
July 1, 2006 Hotel Workers Rising arrives in Seattle
Over 350 hotel workers, community members, and Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels participated in the Hotel Workers Rising kick-off in front of Seattle’s Westin Hotel on June 15th.
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TORONTO //
December 10, 2007 UNITE HERE leader wins prestigious award from City of Toronto
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WASHINGTON, DC //
April 19, 2005 Local 25 Building Army of Trained Leaders in Hotels After winning a groundbreaking contract in January, Local 25 members are now busy electing and training their official “Leadership Committee”, a dedicated group of leaders in Washington, D.C. hotels who will enforce their contract inside the hotels and mobilize co-workers to help organize non-union hotels. Management fought until the final hour of contract negotiations this year against recognizing the Leadership Committee, which will replace the local’s shop steward system and establish a ratio of one leader for every twelve Local 25 members. Where formerly only a handful of stewards would represent an entire shop, now management must contend with trained, aggressive leaders in every department, on every shift, in every language. Leaders on the Leadership Committee will have increased grievance handling and contract enforcement responsibilities and are being formally nominated and elected to their positions by coworkers. Once elected, Leaders will undergo day long trainings on contract enforcement and aggressive grievance handling throughout the month of June. The goal is to enable Leaders to resolve larger and larger issues directly on the shop floor. One-hundred and seven (107) leaders have already been elected and formally inducted. A total of 350 leaders will be ready to begin training in June. As the Leadership Committee continues to grow, Local 25 members will be sharpening their skills and preparing for the next big fight: standing in solidarity with our fellow hotel workers across the country in 2006 and continuing to stand with San Francisco and Los Angeles hotel workers!
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