Hotel workers take stand

Hotel workers in San Francisco are standing up for basic benefits and immigrants' rights in a historic labor action. The hotel workers' contract expired last August and negotiations stalled because multi-billion dollar corporations like Hilton, Intercontinental and Hyatt proposed meager wage increases and asked employees to pay $273 a month for health insurance.

A central issue in negotiations was the duration of the contract itself. The hotel workers union, UNITE HERE Local 2, proposed to end the contract in 2006, when similar contracts with the same corporations are set to expire in other major cities. They also sought to increase the diversity of the workforce. The hotels refused to even consider the union's proposal.

In September, a limited two-week strike began against four of the hotels and the employer group responded by locking out workers at the other 10 hotels in the group. More than 4,000 workers were locked out, but they proved to be a formidable force. Standing outside the hotels in the rain, the workers reminded the public of the work they do behind the scenes.

San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom asked the hotel operators to end the lockout after two weeks, saying it was unfair. The hotels refused. So Newsom joined the picket lines and announced he was pulling city business from the hotels. After five weeks, the hotels let their workers return to their jobs, and an official 60-day cooling off period began.

In February, the union and hotel managers returned to the bargaining table where they remain at odds over wages, health care coverage and the length of the contract. Meanwhile, the hotels have been losing big accounts because many prospective clients will not cross a possible picket line. In March, Newsom and former U.S. President Bill Clinton did not attend functions at boycotted hotels out of respect for the workers who still do not have a contract.

The hotels being boycotted are: Argent, Crowne Plaza Union Square, Fairmont San Francisco, Four Seasons San Francisco, Grand Hyatt, Hilton, Holiday Inn Civic Center, Holiday Inn Express, Holiday Inn Fisherman's Wharf, Hyatt Regency San Francisco, Mark Hopkins, Omni San Francisco Hotel, Sheraton Palace Hotel and Westin St. Francis.