San Francisco hotel workers in month 16 of contract negotiations

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.laborradio.org/Channels/Story.aspx?ID=1346466

1/19/2011

Since August 2009 workers have been in negotiations with San Francisco’s Grand Hyatt hotel over contracts. The workers are represented by Unite-Here Local 2 and on Tuesday nearly 200 workers gathered to let their concerns be known. The hotel has been the focus of strike action and boycotts with the union charging that Hyatt hasn’t bargained in good faith while trying to reach a fair contract. The two sides are scheduled to meet again on February 1 as negotiations head into 16 months. Hyatt isn’t the only hotel that the union has been in negotiations with for the 16 months. The union has also launched a boycott against Hilton hotels. Some of the issues the workers are working toward in negotiations are a fair pension, affordable health care, and reasonable work loads.