Claiming to represent more than 100,000 hotel workers in the United States and Canada, UNITE HERE! is the largest hotel workers' union in North America. The union organizes strikes, demonstrations and other actions designed to fight for higher wages, strong benefits packages and racial and gender equality for its employees. The union also publishes a list of hotels which other union members are urged to boycott because of existing labor disputes. The following hotels were on that list as of June 2010.
UNITE HERE! workers at the San Francisco Hyatt went on strike on June 8, 2010 after 10 months of negotiations failed to bring a simmering labor dispute to a halt. According to a union press release, the labor action was initiated because the Hyatt chain is using the economy as an excuse to force employees to work harder and with fewer rewards despite evidence that the hotel industry is rebounding in San Francisco and nationwide.
As of July 2010, all three of the Hyatt hotel properties in San Francisco are on the UNITE HERE! boycott list including the Hyatt Regency, the Grand Hyatt and the Hyatt Fisherman's Wharf.
San Francisco Hyatt Regency
5 Embarcadero Center
San Francisco, CA 94111
415-788-1234
sanfranciscoregency.hyatt.com
Workers at the Congress Plaza Hotel in Chicago went on strike on June 15, 2003 after the hotel decided to enact a wage freeze and cut benefits. The strike was still happening as of July 2010 and UNITE HERE! claims that it is the longest hotel strike in American history. In 2003, then-Illinois Senator Barack Obama walked the picket line to give his support to the striking workers.
Congress Plaza Hotel
520 S. Michigan Ave.
Chicago, IL 60605
312-212-8192
congressplazahotel.com
The Baltimore Sheraton City Center is one of four unionized hotels owned and operated by hotel chain Columbia Sussex to be placed under a boycott by UNITE HERE! for what the union claims are unfair labor practices. The other hotels are the Hilton Crystal City in northern Virginia, the Anchorage Hilton and the Hilton Sacramento West. According to the union, workers at those four hotels have seen their pay decreased, had their benefits reduced and been forced to work at a faster pace since the hotels were taken over by Colombia Sussex.
Along with the four unionized Columbia Sussex being boycotted by UNITE HERE!, the union is also urging other union members to boycott four hotels they say have not been allowed a fair opportunity to organize a union by Columbia Sussex. Those four hotels are the Westin Washington D.C. Center, Westin Emerald Plaza San Diego, the Wyndham Chicago and the Westin Chicago Northwest.
Baltimore Sheraton City Center
101 W. Fayette St.
Baltimore, MD 21201
410-752-1100
starwoodhotels.com
