San Antonio Update

Hyatt Workers Join International Women's Day March in San Antonio

March 7, 2010

March 8, 2010, is International Women's Day, and this year the 20th Annual Women's March in San Antonio on March 6 featured the struggle of women organizing at the San Antonio Grand Hyatt. This year, the Women's Day March--a march of nearly 2,000 people--commenced in front of the Grand Hyatt because of how Hyatt treats women, especially its housekeeping workforce.

"I work the chute, pulling many pounds of filthy, contaminated linens, moving them and sorting them," said Iola Scott, a laundry worker at the Grand Hyatt San Antonio, who spoke at an action that launched the parade.

"I have pain when I'm working and I have pain when I'm home." Addressing the crowd, she added: "We are not afraid to fight back. We are leaders in a campaign across the country to force companies like Hyatt to stop abusing and hurting women. And we invite all women to join in this struggle, because our fight is a fight for all women."

San Antonio Hyatt housekeepers often clean as many as 30 hotel rooms a day in just eight hours, and many forgo health insurance for their families because of the high cost. A recent study of unionized hotel workers published in a leading occupational health journal showed that housekeepers working at Hyatt hotels had the highest injury rate among the top 5 hotel companies studied, with a risk of injury twice that of the company with the lowest rate.

Workers joined key community allies, including the Esperanza Peace and Justice Center in San Antonio, for the march and carried banners and signs reading, "Hyatt, Stop the Abuse."

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