Grand Hyatt: Union Job Action “Unreasonable” (United States)
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Grand Hyatt: Union Job Action “Unreasonable” (United States)
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Category: North America & West Indies / Carribean islands - United States
This is a press release selected by our editorial committee and published online for free on 2009-11-06
Local 2’s Action is Bad for Guests, Associates and San Francisco
The Grand Hyatt San Francisco is extremely disappointed by the decision of Unite Here Local 2 to stage an unwarranted job action at the hotel.
Hyatt has been negotiating with Local 2 in good faith since the previous contract expired Aug. 14. Hyatt is seeking a fair and equitable contract that recognizes the challenging economic conditions we face. We are guided in these negotiations by our respect and appreciation for our people who deserve competitive compensation, comprehensive benefits and an excellent work environment.
“We are stunned by the action ordered today by Local 2 leadership,” said David Nadelman, General Manager of the Grand Hyatt. “In these difficult economic times, it is unreasonable to try to interrupt Hyatt guests, and purposefully do economic harm to Hyatt associates and the tourism industry in the city of San Francisco. It is evident that Local 2 leadership is out of touch with economic reality.”
The walkout follows a productive negotiating session Wednesday in which the hotels offered the union meaningful wage, annual healthcare and pension increases. The two sides have met five times and have scheduled another bargaining meeting for Nov. 12. For Local 2 to stage a job action in the face of that progress serves neither Hyatt’s associates nor the bargaining process.
“Instead of making our associates suffer by putting them out of work, Local 2’s leaders should be focused on making progress at the bargaining table,” Nadelman said. “We should be spending our time trying to reach an understanding and not trying to create more dissension.”
Local 2’s actions today ignore the challenging economic conditions around the tourism industry in San Francisco. Tourism is the No. 1 industry in the city, and the restaurants, shops and other businesses that rely on tourism depend first on the city’s hotels to attract and accommodate guests. Like the rest of the tourism industry, local hotels have suffered economically from the ongoing recession.
The Grand Hyatt will continue to ensure the comfort, safety and enjoyment of our guests while they stay with us. That includes taking the necessary steps to maintain the cleanliness of rooms with the high standard of service that our guests expect from Hyatt.
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