UNITE HERE Locals 34, 35, 217, the New England Joint Board and GESO joined with other private and public sector unions, students and New Haven residents in a march and rally on the New Haven Green. Leading up to April 4, unions and communities across the country are coming together to show solidarity with workers in Wisconsin, Ohio, Indiana and other states where workers’ rights are under attack.
Nearly 2,800 union hotel workers employed at the six Hawaii based Starwood-managed properties on Maui, Kauai and Oahu voted on March 18 by a margin of 99% to ratify a new three-year agreement that will expire on June 30, 2013.
Union contracts for workers at the Sheraton Maui, Sheraton Kauai, Sheraton Waikiki, Princess Kaiulani, Moana Surfrider, and Royal Hawaiian Hotels originally expired on June 30, 2010.
The new three-year agreement ensures that current comprehensive family and retiree health and welfare coverage will be continued and provides for significant new wage increases fully retroactive to July 1, 2010. In addition, the package includes contribution increases that protect pension benefits for future and current retirees.
Local 5 represents over 10,500 workers throughout Hawaii who work in the hospitality, health care and food service industries and is an affiliate of UNITE HERE, an international union that represents over 250,000 workers throughout the U.S. and Canada.
After many months of bargaining, UNITE HERE and Hilton Worldwide have reached tentative settlements in three major markets–Chicago, San Francisco, and Honolulu. The agreements signal a major breakthrough in citywide hotel negotiations nationally and a path forward for hotel workers as the hospitality industry emerges from the recession. The tentative agreements, affecting nearly 4,000 workers, have been recommended by the respective negotiating committees in each city and are subject to ratification by the local membership.
While terms of the settlements vary in each city, the contracts include wage increases, improved job stability language, and reduced workloads for housekeeping staff and others. Significantly, the new contracts also preserve low-cost, high-quality healthcare and pension benefits for Hilton workers and their families at a time when nationwide these employee benefits are being cut.
"We are pleased to have achieved a fair settlement for all sides–one that allows workers to move forward and share in the robust recovery that the hotel industry is experiencing," says John Wilhelm, President of UNITE HERE. "We applaud Hilton for leading the way and upholding a decent standard for service workers in the hospitality industry."
On Saturday, March 5, more than 70 UNITE HERE Local 1 members and allies drove up to Madison, Wisconsin for the day to protest with thousands of other supporters of Wisconsin’s public-sector unions, which are under attack by Gov. Scott Walker and his administration.
UNITE HERE members marched with thousands of other protestors, who filled the streets surrounding Wisconsin’s State Capitol, and joined union members of the steps of the Capitol for a rally organized by the AFL-CIO.
Yohannes Gezu, a server from the Sheraton Chicago, was among the speakers at the rally. "As working people, we have must have two jobs—one to support our families and another to organize and fight to uphold our rights as working people."
On February 26, UNITE HERE Local 8 members rallied in solidarity with Wisconsin workers at the Washington State Capitol in Olympia.
In days, weeks, and months ahead, UNITE HERE will stand in solidarity with our public sector brothers and sisters across the country. Stay tuned for more updates and rallies.
On Tuesday, March 1, cafeteria workers at Bronx Community College who are fighting to keep their jobs rallied with fellow members of UNITE HERE Local 100. The College is changing food service contractors to an as-yet unannounced new company, and workers have received no assurances that their employment will continue.
The nine cafeteria workers have worked at Bronx Community College for as many as fifteen years. Workers called on the BCC administration to make sure they are rehired when the new food service company is announced. Members of the Professional Staff Congress, the faculty union in the City University of New York system, and student leaders in the BCC Student Government Association have pledged support for the cafeteria workers.
Show your support for Bronx Community College cafeteria workers by signing this online petition!
Since February 25th, 2010, Castlewood has maintained a lockout of its 61 food service and janitorial workers, pressuring them to give up job security protections and pay about 40% of their wages for family health insurance. Instead of giving in, the workers have waged an extraordinary yearlong struggle to return to work and protect their families’ health care, garnering broad support from Pleasanton and East Bay political leaders, congregations, unions, and community organizations.
"I’ve worked hard to serve Club members for 10 years," said Castlewood cook Angel Melendez. "I never imagined they would throw me out in the street for a year, just because I want to be able to take my son to the doctor when he gets sick. But I also never imagined how strong and united my co-workers and I would become through this struggle, or how much the whole community would stand behind us. This is a day of celebration because we have found the courage to fight for as long as it takes to protect our families."
Hotel workers at the Hyatt Regency Santa Clara have called for a boycott. Hyatt Regency Santa Clara workers began organizing in 2008 because they face excessive workloads, low wages, lack of respect, and a lack of quality, affordable health care. Many housekeepers surveyed at the Hyatt Santa Clara reported daily workplace pain or injury. Today, workers are joined by hundreds of clergy, labor, and other community supporters for a demonstration, launching a boycott of the property.
"Hyatt doesn’t respect our rights." said Leoncia Rodriguez, a housekeeper who has worked at the Hyatt Regency for seven years. "They won’t commit to letting us organize freely, without intimidation. In the meantime, we are overworked and we get hurt. This is why we are calling a boycott and letting customers know: Don’t eat, meet, or sleep at the Hyatt Regency Santa Clara!"
Approximately 30 campus dining workers at Dominican University have won union recognition from their employer, Chartwells, choosing to join UNITE HERE Local 1.
"I’m proud of the work we do, and I’m glad that Chartwells respected us and let me and my coworkers choose what we wanted. I support the union because we deserve a voice on the job. Now we will be able to negotiate for better wages and benefits that will move my family forward, and make life better for the workers that come after us," said Frank Studaway, a cook in the Dominican University dining halls.
Recently, a majority of Dominican campus dining workers, with support from Dominican faculty, students, and clergy asked Chartwells for a fair process to choose a union. The company agreed to a process and recognized UNITE HERE Local 1 on Thursday, February 10th.
Liesl Orenic, a history professor at Dominican, said, "We value community at Dominican, so it’s exciting to see that honored by our food service vendor. Dominican’s mission of creating a more just and humane world is strengthened when all members of the Dominican community, including dining service workers, have a voice."
Donna M. Carroll, President of Dominican University, added, "As a Catholic University, we believe strongly in the dignity of the human person and his or her right to free association, clear voice and a just wage. The Chartwells workers are part of the Dominican University community, and we care about the quality of their working life. I appreciate the forthright manner in which Chartwells management and UNITE HERE Local 1 are approaching this union organizing drive."
The Dominican University workers are the third group of cafeteria workers at a Catholic college or university to win union representation with UNITE HERE in the past three months. In November, over 200 dining workers at Loyola University Chicago joined UNITE HERE Local 1 and more than 50 dining workers at St. Peters College in Jersey City, NJ, joined UNITE HERE Local 100.
Panelists Call on Owners to Do Right by Players, Workers, and Fans
Washington, D.C. American Rights at Work and the NFL Players Association convened a panel today at the National Press Club to discuss the immediate threat an NFL lockout poses to players, workers, small businesses, and communities. "The threat of a lockout is more than the potential loss of a football season," said American Rights at Work Executive Director Kimberly Freeman Brown. "Based on the NFL’s own numbers, the owners’ decision to lockout the players would affect 150,000 jobs."
The panel, moderated by Kimberly Freeman Brown and NFLPA Assistant Executive Director of External Affairs George Atallah, featured Baltimore Ravens cornerback Chris Carr (photo, left), retired NFL player Brian Mitchell (center), concessions stadium worker John Marler (right), and acclaimed sports columnist Dave Zirin (photo by Chris Garlock).
"Most players just know football and just want to play football. We’re here today for the workers working in the concession stands, the bars, and the restaurants," Carr said. "Those are the people it’s really going to affect."
John Marler, a worker at Detroit’s Ford Field and member of UNITE HERE Local 24, outlined the devastating impact a lockout would also have on stadium workers across the country–and their communities. "Detroit has been hit hard by recession, and a lockout will devastate my coworkers and the city’s economy," Marler explained. Zirin likewise emphasized the broader implications of a lockout for all workers: "We’re watching the most powerful men in America tell workers to work longer for less pay. This is huge for everyone."
When women put on a housekeeper’s uniform, they become invisible. Many people go to expensive hotels and get great service and never know what’s behind the scenes. Behind the experience of comfort and luxury that hotel housekeepers provide is a persistent pattern of pain an injury. Some injuries can be debilitating.
In a 2010 study of hotel worker injuries from 50 U.S. hotels published in the American Journal of Industrial Medicine, housekeepers working at Hyatt hotels had the highest injury rate of those hotels studied. On Feb. 10, workers and allies from across the U.S. held actions at Hyatts, protesting working conditions.
Hyatt says: "[O]ur OSHA data for 2008 and 2009 clearly show that both the frequency and severity of injuries have been reduced across all locations in North America for housekeepers and other associates."
However, OSHA records from the twelve Hyatt properties where workers filed health and safety complaints tell a different story. A majority of these hotels saw increases in the total injury rate from 2008 to 2009. Moreover, at a majority of these properties, the total injury rate in 2009 was higher than the state average for the hospitality industry.
Workers and community allies in several cities across the U.S. are standing together to say, WORK SHOULD NOT HURT!
