Workers Rising: Santa Clara Hyatt Regency

Yesterday, under the close watch of hotel security, more than 300 demonstrators circled the entire front entry access of the Santa Clara Hyatt Regency where they passed out leaflets to hotel guests and visitors. Armed with handouts, banners and placards, protesters called on the hotel giant to treat workers with respect and reiterated that Hyatt employees deserve a fair process to choose a union.

Last month workers at the Hyatt Regency Santa Clara publicly announced that they had formed a union committee, asking the Hyatt for a fair process to choose a union, or a card check agreement. A card check agreement is a fair, simple process to choose a union by signing a card; the cards are then counted by a neutral third party to determine if a majority of workers want to have a union. It allows workers to organize while management remains neutral regarding unionization. It is considered less litigious than NLRB (National Labor Relations Board) elections, which often wind up bogged down in years of back-and-forth appeals.

Workers report that Hyatt is retaliating with intimidation, interrogation, and surveillance of its workers. It has also allegedly circulated misinformation about unions to its employees. Many organizations hearing of the hotel's heavy handed tactics came out to support the workers in their plight with UNITE HERE Local 19 at the helm bolstered by SEIU, CWA and other unions. Community organizations from Hip Hop Congress to the Raging Grannies added their voices for justice in the workplace.

Pt. II coming up featuring supporting organizations that stand in solidarity with hotel workers!