On Sept. 7, UNITE HERE! Local 2 put out an Action Alert announcing “HYATT WORKERS PREPARE TO GO ON SEVEN DAY STRIKE! Unions and Allied Organizations Called to Adopt Picket Shifts in Solidarity with Hotel Workers” The alert further states “We will win if we stand together, and we ask for your support.” The union will issue a follow-up notice on the morning the strike begins. The alert concludes “ONE DAY LONGER!THE UNION IS GETTING STRONGER! ONWARD TO VICTORY!”
UNITE HERE! Local 2 led a march on Labor Day, in San Francisco. Assembling at Union Square in downtown, 500 workers marched, including unions and community organizations.
The first stop on the march was the Hotel Frank. Marchers chanted “Who’s got the power? We got the power! What kind of power? Union power!” Wells Fargo took over the Hotel Frank and threw out the union contract. Since then the hotel has harassed and fired union organizers. The union has been picketing the boycotted hotel several times a week. The other boycotted hotels are Grand Hyatt Hotel at Union Square; Hyatt Regency Hotel, Embarcadero; Hyatt Hotel at Fisherman’s Wharf; and HEI Le Meridian Hotel, Financial District.
The march proceeded to the Grand Hyatt and started up a picket line on the sidewalk and in the street, chanting “We’re gonna boycott! We’re gonna shut it down! San Francisco is a union town!” During the march and picket the Brass Liberation Orchestra accompanied the chanting.
The Hyatt Hotels are the worst employers. During a rally on the steps of Hyatt Plaza, Mike Casey, President of Local 2 and President of the San Francisco Labor Council explained the issues and importance of solidarity and introduced speakers who told of their experiences in the struggle.
Hyatt has increased the work load of housekeepers to the point of causing an increased rate of injury on the job. The abuse is far worse at the non-union Hyatt hotels. In Boston, Hyatt brought in minimum wage subcontractors to replace 100 housekeepers. In some cities Hyatt requires housekeepers to clean 30 rooms a day. A statement from UNITE HERE! Local 2 states that “Union Hyatt workers want to continue to fight this company, but Hyatt wants to silence its own workers. Hyatt workers are demanding the right to picket, strike, and boycott in support of other Hyatt workers to organize, get contracts, or protest abuses whenever they may occur.”
One of the workers at the Fisherman’s Wharf Hyatt, Antonio Arenas explained that the workers have been organizing for three years. The hotel has been punishing workers who support the union.
A speaker from the Filipino Community Center said that these workers come from the community. The FCC advocates for workers at non-union hotels. He concluded that the community and union struggles are one and the same.
Victoria Guillen, a dishwasher at the Grand Hyatt said she is in solidarity with all Hyatt workers whether they are in the union or not. She told how she needed to take a leave of absence for a pregnancy. The hotel management would not allow her a sufficient amount of leave, and fired her. The union and her co-workers fought and won her right to return to her job. Guillen introduce her daughter at the rally saying “We called her Cielo Victoria for our fight and victory.”
Mark Norton, one of the leaders of the organizing struggle at the Hotel Frank pointed out that the workers do not get to vote on how Wells Fargo and Hyatt spend the profits they get from the service provided by workers. He said “We do not have democracy. We need workers running this country and running this world.”
Mike Casey thanked the unions and organizations that marched and supported the action including ANSWER Coalition, Transport Workers Union, Letter Carriers, Teamsters Locals 85 and 856, United Educators of San Francisco, Sign Display Union Local 510, East Bay Alliance for a Sustainable Economy, American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees, American Federation of Teachers 2121, California Faculty Association, Electrical Workers Local 1245 and Local 6, Stagehands (IATSE), Machinists, San Francisco Labor Council, and San Francisco Building Trades Council. A large contingent from Teamsters Local 856 representing United Airlines workers marched in bright orange union shirts with their banner. Other unions and organizations marching with their banners included the International Warehouse and Longshore Union, the Sailors Union of the Pacific, the Filipino Community Center, Jobs with Justice and the Living Wage Coalition.
In San Jose, UNITE HERE! held a picket with over 200 people at the Hyatt.
