94th Anniversary of Workplace Disaster
March 24, 2005, Noon -" 1 p.m.
Each year, UNITE HERE commemorates the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire, the 1911 industrial fire that killed 146 workers, most of them young immigrant women. This tragedy was a turning point for the efforts to win safe workplaces and union rights for garment workers, and was a key point in our union’s history.

What: In 1911, 146 young immigrant garment workers died in a tragic fire at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory in New York City. This tragedy galvanized a city to fight for labor reforms and for fire safety in the workplace.

Who: Bruce Raynor, General President, UNITE HERE John Wilhelm, President/Hospitality Industry, UNITE HERE Other labor leaders and representatives of the NYFD -Family members of workers who perished in fire

Where: Corner of Washington Place & Greene Street-"just east of Washington Square Park

When: March 24, 2004* Noon -" 1 p.m. *The actual anniversary of the event is March 25. Because the anniversary falls on Good Friday this year, we are holding the commemoration the day before.

Ceremony: Fire officer tolls bell, as students and workers read a name and lay a flower for each of the 146 victims. New York City firefighters will slowly raise the ladder of their truck to the highest point the firefighters could reach in 1911, which was two floors below where workers were trapped.

New York, NY–On February 1, 2005, Cablevision cut off union health insurance for over two hundred Madison Square Garden workers and their families. This is part of Cablevision’s attempt to force these workers to agree to changes in their contract that would cut work opportunities, health insurance and pension benefits for many employees. Many workers at Madison Square Garden already earn less than $10 an hour. Please visit www.fightatthegarden.info to send a free fax to James Dolan, Chairman of Madison Square Garden, urging him to restore health insurance coverage Madison Square Garden workers and work to negotiate a fair contract.

San Francisco. The boycott of the San Francisco Multi-Employer Group hotels continues to pick up steam as additional organizations and individuals have agreed to support the citywide boycott and move their business elsewhere. Local 2 and their allies are continuing the pressure with more street actions scheduled. On Monday, hundreds of people walked a picket line for four hours at the San Francisco Hilton. Many community supporters joined the line, including San Francisco Supervisor Chris Daly.

Now, Big Business has launched attacks on Mayor Gavin Newsom for his support, and for his refusal to disregard the boycott of the 14 hotels.

Elsewhere last week, dozens of UNITE HERE member-led actions took place atlocations in Hawaii, Toronto, Chicago, Oakland and Boston in protest of abusive behavior at the Sheraton Universal in Los Angeles. Several Shop Stewards and union committee members have been suspended or fired as part of a campaign against a fair contract. But most of the workers are back on the job after workers across the United States and Canada stood up to demand an end to these attacks.

Click here for more information about the hotel workers’ campaign.

LOS ANGELES — Hotel workers score another victory in their fight for health care and wages, as President Bill Clinton honors boycott.

Early this week, hotel workers were notified that President Bill Clinton will not be attending a lunch at the Century Plaza Hotel sponsored by the Association of Southern California Defense Counsels out of respect to hotel workers who have been without a contract for the past 10 months.

The Century Plaza, The Regent Beverly Wilshire, Sheraton Universal, Hyatt West Hollywood, Hyatt Downtown, Wilshire Grand Hotel, and the Westin Bonaventure are in the list of boycotted hotels, which has been in effect since last October.

Workers announced a boycott due the intimidation practices by the hotels. The multimillion dollar hotel chains, until last month, were charging workers a $40 monthly health care fee, which the union has alleged is illegal, and engaging in other, widespread intimidation practices.

Meanwhile, other elected officials and organizations who are respecting the boycott include: the California Democratic Party who recently pulled their state convention from the Biltmore Hotel, Mayor Jim Hahn, the great majority of California Delegation in the State Assembly, Senate and Congress, and Los Angeles City Councilmembers.

Due to the on-going labor dispute with approximately 2,500 hotel workers, elected leaders and organizations have refused to speak or make themselves present at events held at any of the boycotted hotels in support of the workers.

"We applaud the courage and support from former President Clinton and our elected leaders and organizations who have supported our fight for health care and decent wages for our hard work," said Rocksand Ramirez, a housekeeper at the Century Plaza Hotel.

Hotel workers have consistently rejected the EC’s contract proposals because, among other issues, they do not guarantee sufficient employer contributions to maintain, for the duration of the agreement, the same level and quality of health benefits workers fought for and won in past contracts.

"Nothing compares to our family health benefits," said Aida Marmol, a housekeeper at Westin Bonaventure hotel. "We will never give up fighting to make sure our children can be healthy and get the treatment they deserve."

Over 900 Plaza Hotel workers now have global allies in a fight to save their jobs from plans to raze the hotel and replace it with condominiums and retail stores. Last week, UNITE HERE Local 6 leaders met with the British union, Transport and General Workers Union (T&G), to solicit their help in reaching out to Harrod’s Department stores, the retail giant rumored to be setting up shop on the Plaza Hotel property. Following a T&G facilitated meeting with Harrod’s President Muhammad El Fayed, the company president sent a letter to Mayor Michael Bloomberg to publicly state that Harrod’s had no intention of building stores on the Plaza property, and to denounce plans to destroy the landmark. A coalition of New York City politicians, preservationists and supporting groups have also mobilized efforts to Save the Plaza, and have engaged in a multi-faceted campaign to educate the public about this issue. For more information about campaign events, or to learn how you can help Save the Plaza, contact Jim Donovan at (212) 957-8000.

Los Angeles. The boycott of the 8 Employers Council Hotels in Los Angeles continues to gain momentum. The Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) announced that they are pulling out all business from the Wilshire Grand Hotel. The LAUSD brings in more than $1 million worth of business annually to the Wilshire Grand. The California Teachers Association and the United Teachers of Los Angeles and community leaders helped to influence the LAUSD to honor the boycott and move their business out of the Wilshire Grand. Also, The Association of Southern California Defense Counsel has now moved their luncheon from the Westin Century Plaza to the Beverly Hilton. Click here for a list of boycotted hotels.

February 27, the night of the Oscar Awards, Local 11 held an action at two boycotted hotels in Beverly Hills with picket lines at the Westin Century Plaza and the Regent Beverly Wilshire. Many entertainment industry professionals were forced to drive by loud picket lines in their limousines on their way to the Oscar Awards in Hollywood. The next action is scheduled for March 10, 2005. Please contact Maya Anderson for more information 213.486.9880 xt.137.

San Francisco. Local 2 members and supporters continue to crank up the heat on the Multi Employer Group with more boycott activities and picket lines. On Monday, hundreds of people joined a four-hour picket line outside the Sheraton Palace Hotel. Hotel guests were handed leaflets informing them of the ongoing contract fight and were asked to patronize other hotels that are not involved in a labor dispute with the union, while picketers chanted "Don’t check in, check out now!" More picket lines are planned for Wednesday at the Mark Hopkins Hotel and Monday at the Hilton.

Click here for more information about the campaign.

Gelmart Industries, Inc., which is headquartered in New York City and owns Gelmart Industries Philippines, is a privately-owned company that specializes in the manufacturing and distribution of intimate apparel for Wal-Mart, K-mart, Jockey, Frederick’s of Hollywood, and Gelmart’s own labels like Lady Marlene. The working conditions at one Gelmart subcontractor included:

• working 13-hour shifts, and occasionally even 22-hour shifts;
• dangerous safety conditions;
• not being compensated according to Filipino labor law;
• not being paid minimum wage, overtime, and nightly rates.

Read the story of Pearly Gonzales at Behind the Label.org and then click here to send an online fax to Gelmart Industries and its business partners and tell them to take responsibility and improve working conditions immediately.

A major victory was won this month in the fight for hotel workers and their families to maintain free family health care coverage. The EC announced that effective immediately in all EC Hotels, the EC will discontinue the $10 weekly co-payment by hotel employees, and return to making contributions on all hours worked and paid for. In addition, any payments made from February 1, 2005 will be refunded.

Since July, approximately 500 hotel workers and their families have lost their health insurance coverage and the EC has collected over $700,000 from hotel workers. Local 11 has always claimed that the $10 weekly co-payments and the impasse were illegal. Delegations and actions have escalated inside the hotels demanding the return of all the money the hotels collected from the workers. "People are really pumped up. Now they know the companies are scared of the power that we have." -"Miguel Aguilar, Chief Shop Steward. This is a major victory for hotel workers in Los Angeles.

Hotel workers protesting Elad Properties plan to convert most of the Plaza Hotel into luxury condominiums found an ally in Mayor Michael Bloomberg. The mayor has indicated his support of UNITE HERE’s fight against the conversion. Hundreds of people rallied at the Plaza on Thursday to show their support of the hotel workers. Read more >>>.

San Francisco. On Valentine’s Day, hundreds of Local 2 members hit the streets for a picket line at the St. Francis Hotel. The Valentine’s Day action was the first picket line since the 60-day cooling off period ended and was intended to ask hotel guests to honor the boycott of the 14 Multi-Employer Group hotels and patronize other San Francisco hotels that are not involved in the current labor dispute.

Earlier in the day, the Local 2 Negotiating Committee met with management. The MEG continues to keep concessionary contract proposals on the table.

Last Friday, rank and file union leaders met to plan the next phase of the hotel contract campaign. The plans include an escalation of the boycott against the 14 MEG hotels, which began with the strike and lockout last October. To date, the boycott has been very successful as hotel customers cancel reservations at MEG hotels and take their business to other hotels. Based on data collected by Smith Travel Research, Local 2 estimates that the hotels lost at least $25 million during the strike and lockout.

Los Angeles. Despite the rain, hundreds of workers and community supporters rallied in front of the Westin Century Plaza Hotel on Friday, February 11, 2005. A delegation of community supporters met with the General Manager to show their disgust with the way housekeepers are told to clean guest room drinking glasses and for not signing a fair contract. Each community supporter presented the General Manager with a bottle of Pepto-Bismol and told him that they were sick to their stomach when they learned that glasses are cleaned in the bathroom sink with the same chemicals used to clean the toilet. They also said that they wanted this practice to stop immediately. The General Manager agreed and said that the housekeepers no longer have to clean the glasses in the guest rooms. Outside, the public was given a leaflet and a clean, clear plastic cup. The public was notified how glasses are cleaned in the Century Plaza and told that they should use the plastic cup instead of what is in the room, if they stay in the Century Plaza.

Because of Friday’s action, petition, and series of delegations, workers report that the Westin Century Plaza and the Sheraton Universal have removed all glasses from the rooms and are now using Styrofoam cups. The coffee pots, however, remain in the rooms and the housekeepers are cleaning them as usual.

You can keep up with the Hotel Workers Contract Campaign at Hotel Workers United.