Local 2 demands benefits

By Liska Koenig
The Guardsman

Hiton Boycott_woman arrested_l_5157
A protester is arrested for public disobedience after blocking the main entrance to the Hilton San Francisco Union Square hotel on Jan. 5. A total of 140 protesters were arrested. PHOTO COURTESY OF BILL HACKWELL

Unite Here Local 2, the union which represents hotel and restaurant workers in San Francisco and San Mateo counties, has been picketing city hotels to achieve the signing of a new labor contract acceptable to both hotel management and employees.

So far, seven hotels have been affected by Local 2’s action: Hilton San Francisco Union Square, W Hotel, Grand Hyatt, Palace Hotel, Le Meridien, Hyatt Fisherman’s Wharf and Westin St. Francis.

The most recent protest took place at the Hilton San Franciscoon Jan 5. Attended by about 800 union members and approximately 400 supporters, it resulted in 140 arrests for public disobedience.

The conflict between major hotel companies and about 9,000 union members is centered around health care issues and retirement benefits.

For more than 50 years, health care for employees, their partners and families has been part of hotel workers’ compensation. Under the old contract — which expired in August 2009 — worker’s health care was fully covered by employers’ contributions. This coverage was extended to family members and domestic partners with a co-pay of $10 per month.

Hotel workers and Local 2 are now proposing a modest increase to sustain health care and retirement benefits over a one-year period. Even though it would require only a 1.5 percent increase in labor cost, none of the corporations that manage San Francisco hotels have expressed interest in settling such a contract, according to a Local 2 press release dated Jan. 5, 2009.

“The key issue is not that these corporations can’t afford to pay the increase. They are saying they don’t feel like paying it and have publicly called this system of paying for workers’ health care antiquated and outdated,” said Ian Lewis, research analyst for Local 2.

Bellpersons, roomcleaners, dishwashers, cooks and other hotel union personnel typically make about $30,000 or less per year, according to Lewis, and depend on the provision of health and retirements benefits by their employers for their survival.

“Hotels are very good at reducing costs. What’s different about this industry, compared to other industries, is that when business goes down, workers don’t work,” Lewis said.

Local 2’s press release stated that even in these tough economic times hotels continue to be immensely profitable. While the Blackstone Group, which owns Hilton Hotels, paid its CEO Stephen Schwarzman $1.39 billion in 2008, it is now trying to take away benefits from those workers needed most to keep hotel operations running smoothly.

“Health care is a human right,” said Rev. Israel Alvaran, community outreach organizer for Local 2. “With the current suggestions made by hotel management, the cost to the workers will increase up to $200 per month within the next three years. That’s unacceptable.”

Union strikes typically go over three days and are intentionally held during busy times for the hotels to attract public attention and create disruption.

“The strikes are intended to highlight the ongoing negotiations, but also meant to launch hotel consumer boycotts,” Alvaran said. Many guests are uncomfortable when they have to cross picket lines, and they are disturbed by the constant noise of protesters. Guests often change hotels as a result.

The union’s Web site, www.unitehere2.org, urges San Francisco visitors to change a reservation at any of the affected hotels and arrange for accommodation at a hotel not involved in the labor dispute.

“This is a highly mobilized group of workers who want to send a strong message to the public and the corporations that run the hotels,” said City College instructor Bill Shields. Shields, a former staff person for Local 2 and active union supporter, was among the 140 people arrested for civil disobedience at the Hilton protest.

Strikes may continue throughout the year if a settlement is not achieved soon, according to Local 2’s Web site.

“We are caught in limbo because we don’t have a contract. As far as I know there is no set schedule for the next negotiations,” said Luis Soto, food server at the Urban Tavern, the restaurant on the ground floor of the Hilton San Francisco.

Lewis does not anticipate a quick settlement of the conflict. “Negotiations won’t move quickly until companies start to feel the pressure from the community and the economy,” he said.

Hotel workers in Chicago and Los Angeles are also currently working without contracts, and contracts for workers in Minneapolis, Monterey, Honolulu and Washington D.C. will expire in the coming months. In a comparable situation during the negotiations for the 2004 – 2006 hotel worker’s contract, unions waited to line up all expired contracts so they could eventually achieve a national master contract. This could happen again in 2010 and result in a series of short strikes and picket lines nationwide.

Despite numerous contact attempts, nobody at the Hilton San Francisco human resources department was available to present management’s perspective on the negotiations.
“The good news is that we are working. We are as busy as always. Now we just have to wait and see what happens next,” said Kenny Foch, bellperson at the Hilton San Francisco.