Union News Local and Across America
Fired Hotel Employee Rehired
The Grand Hyatt San Antonio reinstated an employee who claims he was fired last summer for his union-organizing activities.
Gabriel Morales, an "in-room dining server" returned to work on Monday more than seven months after he was terminated. He also received $5,385 in back wages.
The Grand Hyatt also entered into a settlement with the National Labor Relations Board that requires the hotel to post notices informing employees that they have the right to form a union.
A complaint brought by the NLRB in January accused the Grand Hyatt of "interrogating" employees about whether they supported a union and threatening workers with fewer hours and termination because of their union activities.
"The (settlement) agreement, which was finalized last week, allows us to put this matter behind us and to move forward and to continue to work with our associates directly," said Tom Netting, the hotel's managing director. "We have admitted no fault."
The NLRB's complaint had been scheduled to be heard by an administrative law judge on Monday.
"This is an excellent settlement that will resolve these issues," said Martha Kinard, the NLRB's regional director in Fort Worth. "The employees will know what their rights, and all this took place without requiring litigation, a judge to write a decision or the board to issue an order."
The notice the Grand Hyatt must post lets its workers know that it will not, among things: interfere with union-organizing efforts; create the impression that workers are being watched for engaging in union activities; or threaten employees with job loss.
Morales, 31, said he was satisfied with the outcome.
"I feel like the company made a concerted effort to make an example out of me," Morales said. "They did everything they could do shut me up and stop me from fighting."
"Gabriel has been an active leader in the union," added Danna Schneider, an organizer for Unite Here, the union that brought the charges to the NLRB. "When he was fired, that was a big blow and served to scare a lot of people. Gabriel coming back to work is a huge victory."
Another terminated Grand Hyatt worker, Brandon Tillmon, received $12,500 under a settlement reached in November. He will not return to the 1,003-room hotel, however.
Schneider said there is a union-organizing committee in the hotel that seeks to mobilize workers. "We're still fighting for a fair process (for workers) to choose whether or not to form a union," she said.
Credit: Patrick Danner Express News
If Congress doesn't move quickly, unemployment insurance (UI) for the long-term jobless and the COBRA extension to help unemployed workers maintain health care coverage will expire in about two weeks. Millions of workers and their families will be left without a lifeline.
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AFL CIO President Richard Trumka, January 21, 2010
What happened Tuesday in Massachusetts was a wake-up call to all of us.
It was a working class revolt, a signal that in this economic crisis, the American people demand jobs, health care and an economy that works for them now, not political business as usual. It was a loud and clear message that our elected leaders and our labor movement must do more for working people, do it fast and do it smarter. An AFL-CIO poll taken Tuesday night shows without doubt:
Voters are fed up that elected leaders have done too little to help working families.
They said Democrats have NOT overreached on jobs, the economy and health care they have underreached. Voters have seen too much help for Wall Street and not nearly enough help for Main Street. Unless Democrats demonstrate that fixing the economy is their overriding priority, and begin to create more jobs for working Americans NOW, we're going to see more results this November like the Massachusetts election. For the union movement and activists, the message was also clear: It's not time to leave it to any political party to take care of us once we put them in office. It's time to organize and mobilize as never before to make every elected or aspiring leader PROVE he or she will create the jobs we need in an economy we need with the health care we need.
I am not discouraged by Tuesday's election results. Actually, I'm energized and I want you to be, too. Working America is demanding major change NOW, not timid, go slow, partial solutions. I know we are the people who can mobilize a massive army to force elected leaders to deliver. Let's do it starting NOW. P.S. I'm sending this same message in a YouTube video. Click here to take a look and share it with other fighters for working families.
In solidarity, Richard L. Trumka President, AFL-CIO
Texans uniting behind Bill White as Texas' next Governor
For Immediate Release Thursday, Jan. 14, 2009
HOUSTON, TEXAS -- As of the end of the last filing period on Dec. 31, more than 7,000 supporters had contributed to former Houston Mayor Bill White's campaign.
In the 28 days after White's Dec. 4 announcement for governor, supporters responded with more than $2.5 million, for an average fundraising rate of over $90,000 per day. With transfers and in-kind donations, the effort to elect Bill White as governor collected more than $6.2 million and ended the year with nearly $5.5 million on hand.
"The response to Bill's announcement that he'd consider running for governor was enormous, with more than 8,000 Texans emailing him to encourage him to run. Then, once Bill decided to run, those supporters responded with generous financial support," said Campaign Finance Chair Scott Atlas. "We'll be ready for November."
To date, White's combined campaigns have collected more than $10 million since December 2008.
The son of San Antonio school teachers, White helped build a law firm and managed a successful business before being elected Houston's mayor in 2003. Since then, he's been re-elected twice with 86% and 91% of the vote. During White's administration, Houston led the nation's cities in job growth, adding more jobs than sixteen states combined. At the same time, he cut property tax rates five years in a row and helped seniors with tax relief. White also started a special initiative that gives returning veterans the welcome they deserve with coordinated social services, reductions in red tape, and employment opportunities. After Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and Ike, Bill White mobilized effective disaster response including first responders, businesses and churches. For his compassionate, hands-on leadership after Katrina, White received the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award in 2007. Previously, he served as Deputy Secretary of Energy of the United States.
(credit) www.billwhitefortexas.com
The Message of Linda Chavez-Thompson in Texas
Amy B. Dean
Co-Author, "A New New Deal: How Regional Activism Will Reshape the American Labor Movement" Posted: January 6, 2010 04:20 PM
The campaign theme of the Texas Democratic Party this election cycle is "Moving Texas Forward." And there is no better person to help the Democrats achieve that goal than longtime labor union leader Linda Chavez-Thompson, who announced her candidacy for Texas Lieutenant Governor yesterday.
I have known Linda for many years -- yet this represents only a fraction of the four decades she has devoted to the American labor movement. Having come from humble roots, she has emerged as a strong, authentic voice for employees across the many sectors of our economy and across lines of gender, race, and ethnicity. This background makes her uniquely qualified to serve the people of Texas.
Linda will bring a much-needed message with her on the campaign trail. She speaks to issues on the minds of voters. The economy, jobs, education, and health care are core concerns for her, as are the rising costs of insurance and utilities, which she spoke about yesterday. The current administration has mismanaged government and underrepresented the people. Linda can play a historic role in turning that around.
As a Latina, Linda serves as a voice not only for working men and women across the state, but also for the large and growing Latino population in Texas that is a part of the state's long history. As a labor leader she has not only stood as a role model for Latinas and other women of color, but for all the women who make up a huge, growing share of labor union membership.
I had the great honor of nominating Linda for her re-election to serve as AFL-CIO Executive Vice-President. In my speech from the floor of the convention I recall acknowledging her family's immigrant roots. I noted that Linda reminds us that all workers, including immigrants, are part of the backbone of the American labor movement and are vital to its ongoing mission. I told my colleagues that Linda had worked with her family in the cotton fields of Texas and used that experience to help drive herself up through the ranks of labor. She overcame discrimination and along the way proved that Latino immigrants are a building block for our nation's bright and prosperous future.
The challenges ahead are significant, but I think Texas is ready to hear the message of Linda Chavez-Thompson.
(credit) Amy B. Dean www.huffingtonpost.com
Strikes, Boycotts & Arrests Mark SF Hotel Dispute
by Carl Finamore, Jan 06, 2010
The San Francisco Hilton is the city's largest hotel, taking up a square block of prime downtown real estate and boasting 1900 rooms. Celebrity heiress Paris Hilton's signature phrase, "That's Hot!" might very well apply to the "stunning million dollar views" advertised by her hotel namesake. But it's more like "That's Cold!" when describing the views of the Hilton owners towards their employees.
In fact, the Blackstone Group, which owns the Hilton chain, proposes cutting starting wages for new hires by 25%. According to a union fact sheet, the CEO and part owner of Blackstone was paid $1,385,391,042 in 2008 ... That's right, one billion dollars plus. The average union hotel worker earned $30,000 in that same year. This explains why over 800 members of Local 2, UNITE-HERE and 400 supporters staged their impressive rally and civil disobedience action blocking for several hours the main hotel entrance before 140 sit-in protesters were arrested, cited for misdemeanor trespassing and released a short time later.
Arrestees included Richard Trumka, new President of the 13 million member AFL CIO and John Wilhelm, International President of the 265,000 member UNITE HERE. Trumka called the attitude of the hotels a "disgrace" while Wilhelm congratulated Local 2 for its "heart, spirit and endurance" which he said "would spread across the country in 2010" as other hotel contracts expire.
The rally attracted city firefighters, nurses, machinists, teachers, engineers, longshore, teamsters, construction workers and letter carriers displaying union emblems of support. The protest also drew several hundred community supporters organized by Rev. Israel Alvaran, assigned by Clerics and Laity United for Economic Justice (CLUE) to work exclusively on winning community support for hotel workers.
Refusal to come to an agreement with the modest demands of the union is producing growing public outrage because hotels have been profitable the last few years. In fact, according to PriceWaterhouseCoopers, profits soared nationally to over $200 billion in the last decade. While each of the 61 city hotels has chosen to negotiate separately with the union, the corporations that run many of the largest hotels remain united in demands to shift more health care costs to employees, increase workloads and reduce staffing.
They have rejected Local 2's minimum one-year contract proposal. In Hilton's case, the whole package would cost just $550,000 this year or around a 1.5% increase in labor costs. "We've proposed the cheapest contract in the union's history while the corporations continue to make millions," said John Elrod, a bartender at the W Hotel. "I think the hotel workers have sacrificed enough. It's time the hotel corporations realize that we're not going to give up."
So far, the union has called three brief strikes, five boycotts, numerous "Sieges" of all-night picketing and two peaceful civil disobedience actions resulting in several hundred arrests.
Bargaining Prospects in 2010
Nonetheless, facing stiff resistance and a lull in the tourist season, Local 2 realizes this dispute will not be settled soon. These major international corporations have enormous financial resources that allow them to absorb indefinitely the costs of ordinary labor disputes.
So, the union has adopted a variety of tactics looking forward to mid 2010 when tourists begin flooding the city. This influx provides an inviting audience for the union's very effective protests at boycotted hotel entrances with bullhorns blaring. "Years before, We would Cower, Now We have Union Power!" and "Don't Check In, Check Out! This is Local 2! Boycott is what we're all about!" New negotiating allies are also in the wings as Wilhelm mentioned. At the moment, 9000 hotel workers in San Francisco and another 16,000 in Chicago and Los Angeles are negotiating.
This bargaining leverage will soon substantially increase later this year with the addition of units in Toronto, Minneapolis, Vancouver, BC, Honolulu, Monterey and Washington D.C. In total, over 50,000 Unite Here members in the hotel industry will be fighting for new contracts in 2010. In the meantime, Local 2 will be busy planning regular street protests and considering more of their patented surprise strikes while still vigorously enforcing their boycotts.
The union has a history of mobilizing local broad actions and UNITE HERE nationally has recently adopted very high standards for its boycotts. A most important new feature is that a majority of union members are urged to consider a boycott of their selected hotel before one is announced. As a result, all current Local 2 boycotts are worker initiated, minimizing employer attempts to divide employees from boycotters. There must also be a funded staff and a clear program of active enforcement before any boycott is launched.
This includes regularly scheduled pickets with amped-up sound systems to remind guests there is an ongoing labor dispute. It means organized visits to major clients showing videos of protests and taped interviews with disgruntled guests who endured the stress of strikes, loud picketing and boycotts. It means enlisting the national support of non profit and socially conscious conventioneers to join the boycott.
One important endorsement occurred the day the Hilton boycott was announced. Sarah Shaker, Executive Director of the Instituto Laboral de la Raza, issued this January 5 statement, "It is very unfortunate that we have to move our annual awards banquet. Normally, we have over 1,000 people from all over the country attend and we spend close to $100,000 with the Hilton's banquet department. We now have changed our plans and moved the Event to a solidly Union banquet hall, the United Irish Cultural Center."
More of the same is sure to come. The SF Examiner estimates the 53-day strike/lockout and two year boycott in 2004-2006 cost San Francisco hotels around $100 million. Owners made it worse for themselves by locking out workers during that strike, something that turned out to be a major public relations blunder. Enormous political and community pressure forced hotels to back off, end their lock out and return to negotiations. But the union still continued full scale boycotts until the hotels finally agreed in 2006 to all the workers' demands.
Local 2 President Mike Casey considers this victory as validation of the current strategy of staggered, brief strikes, longer boycotts and regularly scheduled mobilizations. As a result, the union is determined to reinvigorate boycotts as one of their tools, especially useful in an industry dependent on delivering consumers comfort and relaxation uninterrupted by clamorous rallies and periodic strikes. "We want to bring back boycotts that have the scale and commitment of the Farmworkers' enormously successful and historic Grape Boycott," UNITE HERE boycott organizer Mark Westerberg told me.
While Casey is quick to remind hotels that a city-wide strike is never off the table, the union has shown it has a formidable array of other tactics as well. All of them will be necessary to pry open the pocket books of the powerful owners.
Carl Finamore paid up all his parking tickets before joining the Hilton sit-in. He is a delegate to the San Francisco Labor Council and former President (ret), Local Lodge 1781, IAMAW. He can be reached at local1781@yahoo.com
(credit) www.beyondchron.org
San Francisco Hotel Workers Heat Up the New Year
January 5, 2010, San Francisco, CA) Over one thousand hotel workers and their community allies take to the streets today in downtown San Francisco, demonstrating against major hotel corporations' refusal to settle a fair contract. They are being joined by Richard Trumka, President of the AFL-CIO, who along with over 100 union members and community supporters will participate in nonviolent civil disobedience. The demonstration launches a customer boycott of the Hilton San Francisco Union Square.
Today's action comes after nearly five months of negotiations and street actions (including strikes), in which hotel workers have been seeking modest increases to sustain health care and retirement benefits for a one year period. None of the major corporations that manage San Francisco's hotels have expressed an interest in settling such a contract, even though it would have required just a 1.5% increase in labor costs during a one-year period. For instance, the union's proposal would have cost the Hilton San Francisco just $550,000 this year.
Meanwhile, despite the economic downturn, major hotel companies have continued to prosper. The Blackstone Group which owns Hilton Hotels announced recently that it has $12.6 billion in available capital, and expects that "the next several years will provide an unusual opportunity to invest in high-return assets." It paid its CEO, Stephen Schwarzman, $1.39 billion in 2008. Starwood Hotels reported $180 million in profits during the first 3 quarters of 2009. Hyatt Hotels launched a public share offering in November that netted its owners nearly $1 billion in proceeds.
"We're determined as ever to win a good contract," said Ingrid Carp, a 29 year cook at the Hilton hotel. "It's wrong for corporations to position themselves to make billions with the coming economic recovery, and expect us to go backward."
As a result of the companies refusal to settle a contract in 2009, San Francisco hotel workers will be fighting alongside over 40,000 other hotel workers across North America in 2010. Workers in Chicago and Los Angeles are currently working without contracts, and workers in six other cities will have their contracts expire in the coming months: Toronto, Minneapolis, Monterey, Vancouver, Honolulu, and Washington DC.
About Unite Here! Local 2: Local 2 is the union of hotel and food service workers in San Francisco and San Mateo Counties. It represents about 12,000 workers in the hospitality industry.
About the AFL-CIO and Richard Trumka: The American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) is a voluntary federation of 57 national and international labor unions. Richard L. Trumka was elected President of the AFL-CIO in September 2009, after serving as its secretary treasurer for 15 years. Prior to that, he was a member and leader of the United Mineworkers of America.
(credit) www.unitehere.org
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