Union workers at the Westin San Diego Gaslamp have voted overwhelmingly to authorize a strike, part of an orchestrated move in at least seven other cities to resolve contract disputes at Marriott-operated hotels.þþWhile the vote does not mean a strike will immediately happen, it does give the Unite Here Local 30 labor union the authority to launch a walkout at any time. The San Diego vote, taken throughout the day on Monday, was 99 percent in favor of striking.þþThe Westin’s 162 workers that are represented by Unite Here join 8,500 employees in some two dozen Marriott hotels from Seattle and San Francisco to Detroit and Boston who have taken similar strike votes amid ongoing talks at properties where union contracts have expired.þþ“Hotel workers form the backbone of the tourism sector. Yet, they can’t afford to live here, and often have to work more than one job while commuting from far away neighborhoods where housing is more affordable,” said Rick Bates, research analyst for the San Diego union, which represents some 6,000 hotel, hospitality and food service workers. “This is fundamentally wrong, and the hotel workers at the Westin Gaslamp are over it. They deserve better.”þþMarriott did not have a comment specifically related to the San Diego vote but issued a statement saying it respects “the right of our associates to voice their opinions on issues that are important to them.”þþIt added, “Should the union and our employees choose to strike, our hotels will continue to operate and work to minimize any disruption and to provide the excellent service that our guests have come to expect.’þþUnite Here’s last strike authorization vote in San Diego was in March of this year by workers at the Hilton San Diego Bayfront. A contract agreement was reached, and no strike was initiated, Bates said.þþThe latest series of Unite Here strike votes began Sept. 10, coming on the heels of multiple union protests staged here and across the country, most recently on Labor Day.þþIn San Diego County, the Westin Gaslamp, located in Horton Plaza, is the only hotel operated or owned by Marriott with an expired contract. Workers there have been without a contract since April of last year, Bates said. Negotiations, however, are ongoing, he added.þþIssues raised by the union include better pay and health benefits, increasing automation that could potentially jeopardize jobs, and so-called ÿgreenÿ initiatives that let guests opt out of having their rooms cleaned. In some cases, such initiatives lead to hours being cut, and once guests do check out of those rooms, the union argues that there can be considerably more work involved to clean them.þþNationally, Unite Here has raised concerns that Marriott has not done enough to protect workers against potential sexual harassment by guests. Earlier this month, Marriott International announced it is ramping up the installation of alert devices, often referred to as panic buttons, that can notify security when an employee, like a housekeeper, feels unsafe.þþ
Source: sandiegouniontribune.com
