HEI Le Meridien Hotel Bosses Lose Court Battle Against Local 2
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November 2, 2009 – For over four months, HEI Le Meridien hotel management in San Francisco have been trying to restrict the rights of workers and their supporters from freely demonstrating outside of the hotel. Demonstrations have occurred almost weekly since workers launched a boycott of their own hotel in February of 2009. On November 2, the judge ruled against hotel management and refused to sign an order that would have restricted the rights of workers and their supporters to demonstrate outside the property. |
Office of the General Counsel of National Labor Relations Board Issues Complaint Against HEI!
On October 30, 2009, the Office of the General Counsel of the National Labor Relations Board issued an unfair labor practice complaint against the HEI-owned and operated Sheraton Crystal City Hotel in Arlington, Virginia.
Since February, workers at the Sheraton have been campaigning for justice and demanding a fair and democratic process to decide on unionization without management intimidation. They have spoken out through petitions, delegations, demonstrations and speaking tours to denounce heavy workloads, low wages, expensive health insurance plans, disrespect and anti-union tactics.
The complaint contends that HEI engaged in violations of federal labor law, including:
- Allegedly interrogating employees about their union activity
- Allegedly creating the impression of surveillance by interrogating employees about their union activities
- Allegedly threatening employees with reprisals because of their union activity and allegedly threatening employees with losing their employment if they continued to participate in union activity
- Allegedly coercing employees by confiscating union materials
- Allegedly coercing employees by implying that they were disloyal to their employer because they engaged in union activity
- Allegedly suspending and discharging union leader Ferdi Lazo because he formed, joined and/or assisted the union and engaged in concerted activities, and to discourage employees from engaging in these activities
Long Beach Hilton Workers Call For Boycott!
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Long Beach — After more than a year of appeals and little progress, hotel workers at the Long Beach Hilton have asked hotel clients and community members to boycott their hotel. 80% of workers at the Long Beach hotel signed a petition calling for the boycott. Last week, the workers held a press conference calling on the community and clients to boycott the hotel until management agrees to honor the workers’ rights to decide whether to form a union in a manner free of intimidation and harassment. The workers say that harsh workloads, lack of affordable healthcare, and job security make conditions intolerable. |
Sheraton Crystal City Workers Fight for Justice in Arlington, VA!
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Workers at the Sheraton Crystal City in Arlington, VA delegated HEI management today – going public with a demand that the company respect their desire for a majority sign-up agreement. Student activists from Brown, Yale, Harvard, Princeton, and U Penn joined the workers, along with local community leaders. Workers presented the general manager, Pradeep Bobba, with a demand for a fair and democratic process for deciding whether to form a union, without management interference. |
San Francisco Le Meridien Workers Call For Boycott!
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On Tuesday, February 24 – over 700 hotel workers and community members marched through downtown San Francisco to the HEI Le Meridien Hotel to call on visitors to boycott the property. Workers are seeking respect for their choice to decide whether to have union representation without management interference. Despite their repeated appeals to management, they’re voices are still not heard. As a result, workers have signed a petition calling on guests to stop using their hotel. |
