UNITE HERE Press Release RSS Feed

On Super Bowl weekend, NFL Players Association Director joins hundreds protesting Hyatt's subcontracting abuses

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 00:00:00 EST

(Indianapolis, IN): Hundreds of hotel workers and supporters, including DeMaurice Smith, Executive Director of the NFL Players Association, Indianapolis City Council President Maggie A. Lewis, and Majority Leader Vernon Brown, are taking part in a protest outside the Hyatt Regency Indianapolis just 48 hours before Super Bowl kick-off. Protestors are rallying to show solidarity with Hyatt workers and to demand that Hyatt end its abuse of subcontracted workers by hiring outsourced workers directly.

The protest comes amid a major lawsuit controversy involving Hyatt and its subcontractor Hospitality Staffing Solutions (HSS). Just ten days after area hotel workers filed a federal lawsuit alleging wage and hour violations against HSS and ten downtown hotels, including the Hyatt Regency Indianapolis, Hyatt announced that it would cut ties with the subcontractor, Hospitality Staffing Solutions (HSS). Its decision jeopardizes the jobs of twenty people now working at Hyatt. Some of the impacted hotel workers have worked for five to nine years as full-time employees. Thus far, Hyatt has refused to hire the workers directly, committing only to keeping the agency until the Super Bowl is over (Feb. 8).

While the Hyatt is slated to make millions of dollars the week of the Super Bowl, hotel workers are among the lowest paid in the nation. Hyatt room rates are expected to be over $1000 per night. Yet workers there make poverty wages and now some are being told after the Super Bowl they may not have a job when the tourists have come and gone.

"I've worked at the Hyatt for over thirty years in housekeeping and I'm very proud to be welcoming Super Bowl visitors to Indianapolis. It is a celebration for our city," says Jackie White, who works at the Hyatt Regency Indianapolis in the housekeeping department. "That said, I am concerned about what the legacy of the Super Bowl will be for Indianapolis hotel workers. The Hyatt will be making millions of dollars during the Super Bowl, and we deserve more for the hard work we do."

"While the Super Bowl is generating millions for downtown hotels, Indianapolis hotel workers are living in poverty," said Maggie A. Lewis, City Council President. "I stand with the Hyatt workers. Everyone deserves to be treated with dignity and have their work respected."

This is not the first time that Hyatt's ties to the subcontractor HSS have sparked controversy. On August 31, 2009, Hyatt fired its entire housekeeping staff at three non-union hotels in the Boston area, replacing women who had worked at Hyatt for decades with workers from a temporary agency. Many of the fired workers report that Hyatt required that they train their replacements. Their replacements now earn minimum wage and clean as many as 30 rooms a day. Few if any of the subcontracted workers receive health insurance.

Allies and hotel workers are available for interview. Please contact Sarah Lyons at 317-735-5919 or slyons0515@gmail.com to coordinate interview. Currently, there are no unionized hotels in Indianapolis and hotel workers in Indianapolis are organizing as part of Hotel Workers Rising, a national campaign coordinated by the hotel workers union, UNITE HERE.

Pine Inn Workers Approve Strike Vote

Thu, 26 Jan 2012 00:00:00 EST

Carmel. Pine Inn and Tally-Ho Inn workers have voted by 100% to authorize a strike at any time. Members of UNITE HERE Local 483, the housekeeping, front desk, bell, and maintenance workers voted today, January 26, 2012, at Seaside's Oldemeyer Center. The workers voted to authorize their negotiating committee to take any action up to and including a strike. Workers cited concerns about the company's contract demands calling for the elimination of health insurance for the workers' 13 spouses and 29 children, as well as the Pine Inn's interference with Local 483 members' rights. The contract between the hotels and the union expired more than a year ago on January 1, 2011.

"If Pine Inn had any trouble hearing us before, this vote makes it loud and clear: We are united in demanding respect and health security for our families!" exclaimed Jose Vigil a three-year Pine Inn houseman and member of the Local 483 negotiating team.

The last time the hotel workers' union went on strike was in 1982. That strike at 22 area hotels and restaurants lasted 17 days, after a 75% strike vote of the membership.

The vote follows a series of actions involving Pine Inn & Tally-Ho Inn workers and their community supporters, dating back to a Labor Day march on September 1, 2011. Local 483 has since sponsored nine protest demonstrations at Pine Inn, drawing more than 600 total participants. The union also filed unfair labor practice charges last November and December with the National Labor Relations Board alleging Pine Inn management violated workers' rights by conducting surveillance of legally protected union activity among other allegations.

"Pine Inn doesn't say they don't have enough money. They say they want a 'new business model'—apparently one that takes from the workers' children and gives to the owner's already fat wallet," said Local 483 lead negotiator Leonard O'Neill, adding, "We won't stand for that."

Founded in 1937, UNITE HERE Local 483 represents 1,200 Monterey Bay area hospitality workers at two dozen hotels, restaurants, cafeterias, and golf courses.

Pine Inn and Tally-Ho Inn, at Ocean Avenue and Monte Verde Street in Carmel, are owned by Richard V. Gunner of Fresno and Santa Barbara, California. Gunner also owns the Santa Barbara Inn, as well as other real estate interests focused in the Fresno and Santa Barbara areas.

Report: Hundreds of surveyed lunch ladies call for improvements at CPS

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 00:00:00 EST

Chicago, IL -- Today, lunchroom workers who are members of UNITE HERE Local 1 are based on surveys from hundreds of lunchroom workers. The report, entitled "Feeding Chicago’s Kids the Food They Deserve: The Lunch Ladies’ View of Meals at Chicago Public Schools," reveals the inside story of the struggle our schools face in improving the lunch program for Chicago children. In the report, workers call on CPS to incorporate their skills and experience in the process of improving meals for CPS children. The release of the report is being held in conjunction with an action today outside CPS Headquarters at 125 Clark Street.

Over the last two years, CPS has made important changes to provide Chicago kids with healthier meals. Yet lunchroom workers—who put the food on kids’ plates and see what gets left in the trash—say more changes are needed. The report will be submitted to members of the Chicago Board of Education tomorrow (Wednesday, January 25) to coincide with the BOE monthly meeting. That same day, Michelle Obama will announce new nutrition standards for meals served in America’s schools.

The report cites a variety of problems and makes several recommendations to improve CPS school lunches.

Only 42% of those surveyed for the report said CPS students are eating the new food, and the workers say that not all principals are not leading by example. Fifty percent of surveyed workers report that they rarely or never see principals at their schools eating lunches from the cafeteria. Lunchroom workers support healthier food in the schools but say they want more input, with 75% of respondents reporting that they did not have input in the recent food changes.

Going forward, the workers call on CPS to make a commitment to cooking by building full-size cooking kitchens in new schools and avoid replacing cooked food with frozen food. They suggest more training as well -- 62% of respondents said that they want training on healthy food. Finally, they say they want CPS to encourage them to keep students and parents informed about any future concerns.

Surveys of CPS workers were conducted in December 2011. 436 lunchroom workers, who have a combined 3803 years of experience on the CPS lunch line, completed the survey.

There are 3,200 frontline lunchroom workers who prepare over 77,000 school breakfasts and 280,000 school lunches each day for the children of Chicago in over 600 schools.

# # #

UNITE HERE Local 1 represents 15,000 hospitality workers in Chicago and Northwest Indiana, including 3,200 lunchroom cafeteria workers in Chicago Public Schools.

Proposed OSHA Rules Seek to End Backbreaking Cleaning Practices for Hotel Housekeepers

Mon, 23 Jan 2012 00:00:00 EST

Los Angeles -- Today, housekeepers’ union UNITE HERE is asking the California Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board to consider a new proposal to prevent disabling injuries in hotel room cleaners and save hotels money on workers compensation claims.

The proposed safety standard complements Senate Bill 432, a two-year bill that when introduced last year stirred considerable debate over why hotels too often fail to provide housekeepers with mops to clean floors and fitted sheets to make beds – basic tools nearly all Americans use in their homes.

It’s widely acknowledged by hotel companies and academic researchers that housekeeping can be dangerous work. Lifting mattresses that can weigh more than 100 pounds, pushing heavy carts across carpeted hallways, bending up and down to clean floors and make beds, and climbing to clean high surfaces all take a physical toll. Research has shown housekeepers suffer the highest injury rate among all classifications of hotel employees, and housekeepers are more likely to suffer musculoskeletal disorders than all other hotel employees.

Yet unlike other hazardous industries, there are no standards to address safety problems in the hotel industry. The proposed guideline lays out a simple plan for employers to follow using solutions already recommended by OSHA agencies in California and elsewhere.

“As the hotel industry has modernized, the job has gotten more and more physically demanding for housekeepers,” said Pamela Vossenas, workplace safety and health expert for UNITE HERE. “In hotels where OSHA has investigated housekeeper injuries, inspectors have recommended simple solutions such as the use of fitted sheets and motorized linen carts to prevent injuries. Cal-OSHA cannot inspect every California hotel, so this Standard creates a systematic safety blueprint for hotels to follow to prevent housekeeping-specific injuries.”

In November 2011, Cal-OSHA cited the Hyatt Fisherman’s Wharf hotel in San Francisco alleging that managers failed to control the hazards that cause injuries from housekeeping tasks. After inspections that took place earlier in 2011, Cal-OSHA recommended to the Hyatt Andaz and Hyatt Century Plaza hotels, both in Los Angeles, the use of fitted sheets and tools to prevent housekeeper injuries.

The proposed standard asks employers to conduct housekeeping hazard assessments, outlaws practices that require housekeepers to clean on their knees or in a “stooped” body position or to stand on sinks or tubs to clean up high. Proposed safe practices include the use of fitted sheets in lieu of flat sheets to minimize mattress lifting and long-handled tools to clean hard to reach areas. Implementation of the plan will reduce the likelihood of housekeepers suffering from disabling injuries to the back and other areas such as shoulders and arms, and as a result, reduces employers’ costs due to insurance and lost work time.

“I injured my hand lifting mattresses to change the sheets,” said Martha Pacheco, a Hyatt Century Plaza housekeeper. “I have been diagnosed with Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, and I have had two surgeries to repair damaged nerves. I take medication everyday to ease the pain in my hands so I can keep working.”

In a peer-reviewed study, results found that 95% of housekeepers suffered from bodily pain, 47% suffered from severe or very severe pain, and 84% took medication for pain suffered at work.

Cal-OSHA Standards Board is expected to decide within 30 days whether it will proceed with hearings on the new proposal.

###

UNITE HERE represents more than 250,000 hotel and food service workers throughout North America.

Federal Agency says Hyatt Andaz violated labor law for increasing housekeeper workload

Thu, 19 Jan 2012 00:00:00 EST

LOS ANGELES – The General Council's Office of the National Labor Relations Board has issued a complaint against the Hyatt Andaz in West Hollywood for increasing the number of hotel rooms housekeepers’ must clean in a shift, and threatening discipline to workers who spoke up about the problem.

Hyatt housekeepers voiced concerns in March 2011 immediately after managers increased the cleaners’ room quota by two--meaning housekeepers were expected to complete an additional hour worth of cleaning in the same amount of time. Under the law, the hotel is required to negotiate workload increases with the workers' union.

The Assistant Director of Human Resources allegedly threatened to discipline workers who voiced concern about the increased workload. The complaint alleges that the Hyatt Andaz’s actions violated the National Labor Relations Act.

For housekeepers, cleaning two more rooms in a shift can hurt housekeepers’ bodies. Academic studies have shown housekeeping to be dangerous work that can lead to debilitating injuries. In a study published in the American Journal of Industrial Medicine examining a total of 50 hotel properties from five different hotel companies, had the highest injury rate of all housekeepers studied when compared by hotel company.

"Hyatt hurts housekeepers," said Cathy Youngblood, a Hyatt Andaz housekeeper. "The increased workload puts stress on our bodies and causes such anxiety that sometimes I don't even want to take time to use the bathroom."

Hyatt has singled itself out as the worst employer in the hotel industry. Across the country, Hyatt has eliminated jobs, replaced career housekeepers with minimum wage temporary workers, and imposed dangerous workloads on those housekeepers who remain.

In 2011, OSHA or its state counterparts issued 18 citations against the Hyatt at 11 hotels, including the Hyatt Andaz, and 3 citations against one of the Hyatt's housekeeping subcontractors at one of those hotels. The citations alleged violations of various safety regulations that protect housekeepers and other employees and proposed over $100,000 in penalties.

Hotel housekeepers are the invisible backbone of the hotel industry. The grittier aspects of their jobs--the work of scrubbing toilets, changing sheets, and encountering guests alone behind closed doors--are the hidden foundation on which an atmosphere of luxury and comfort are built.

A hearing is scheduled for Feb. 21.

###

UNITE HERE Local 11 represents 20,000 hotel and food service workers in Los Angeles and Orange counties. UNITE HERE organizes to ensure workers win livable wages, affordable healthcare and a voice on the job.

UNITE HERE Members Nationwide Ratify Agreement with LSG Sky Chefs

Fri, 13 Jan 2012 00:00:00 EST

Following majority votes at kitchens around the country, UNITE HERE members who work at LSG Sky Chefs have approved a new collective bargaining agreement that covers more than 7,000 in-flight catering workers. The new contract terms will be in effect until 2015.

The agreement comes at the successful conclusion of federally-mediated negotiations and makes significant improvements to wages, the cost of health care, and to job security language.

"It took a lot of time and a lot of effort to get to this point but I feel very proud of what we won in this contract," says Antonio Reyes, a member of the bargaining committee from the kitchen in Dallas, Texas, who has worked at Sky Chefs for 16 years. "We reached an agreement that works for us and for Sky Chefs, and we will remain united across the country to make sure that we are even stronger for the next agreement."

Sky Chefs workers will receive hourly wage increases over the three years of the contract that will total as high as $1.40 per hour, depending on hire date, plus a one-time ratification bonus ranging from $250 to $1000.

The agreement also stipulates a shorter timetable for the next round of negotiations when the contract again becomes amendable in 2015.

Nationwide, UNITE HERE represents nearly 10,000 in-flight catering workers at LSG Sky Chefs and at Gate Gourmet. UNITE HERE represents over 250,000 workers throughout the U.S. and Canada who work in the hotel, gaming, food service and airport industries.

###