For immediate release
September 14, 2006
Leonard O'Neill
831) 375-2246, cell: 595-2499
Hotel Strike Averted in Monterey, CA
UNION, HYATT CORPORATION REACH TENTATIVE AGREEMENT
Monterey, CA — After months of tough negotiations, UNITEHERE! Local 483 came to a pending agreement with Global Hyatt Corporation on a new 4-year contract at 1 a.m. this morning. The tentative pact, which awaits a union membership approval vote on Tuesday, averted a strike threat at the Hyatt Regency Monterey and Park Hyatt Carmel Highlands during this busy Monterey Jazz Festival weekend. The agreement would cover 485 Hyatt Corporation hotel workers.
“We came as close to a strike as I can remember, since the 17-day strike in 1982,” said 27-year Hyatt Regency server, Teresa Conner. “We are happy to win a terrific agreement-and it has to be a terrific agreement to make me happy at 1 o’clock in the morning, believe me!”
“The union negotiating committee will recommend this contract to our members. We finally got what we needed for our families: good raises, maintaining our health plan, and a boost in our pension,” said Alex Guillen, Park Hyatt Carmel Highlands server and member of the Local 483 negotiating committee.
The tentative agreement includes wage and benefit increases totaling over $5 per hour over the course of the 4-year contract. A $1 per hour wage increase for non-tipped workers proposed in the 4th year of the agreement would be the largest annual pay raise in Local 483 history.
“The key to winning this was the determination of the Hyatt workers, but we never would have gotten this far without the extra support of other union hotel workers, our International Union, and our friends in the community,” commented lead Union negotiator, Leonard O’Neill. “When this Hyatt contract is approved, we immediately move on to fighting for good contracts at 10 other Monterey Bay hotels.”
“When we approve this contract, then the Hyatt workers will support the other hotel contract fights. At Local 483, it’s one Union, one fight!” said Jing Wright, a housekeeper at the Hyatt Regency.