One of the most nerve-racking experiences a worker can have on the job is announcing to their manager that they want a union. Doing so can be a quick way to lose your job, and lamenting about ineffective labor laws doesn’t pay the bills while looking through classifieds on your couch. It is, by all measure, a dangerous gamble, but one that can pay off in the long run with higher wages, benefits, and a mechanism for airing grievances.
What can take some of the fear out of that first threatening moment is having 100 community members—priests, civic leaders, union leaders—all watching your back while you tell the boss that you want a fair shot at an organized workplace. This is how it went down with the Hyatt workers on June 25 in Santa Clara.
At the Santa Clara Hyatt, a fancy gem of a Silicon Valley hotel, workers are making a push for affordable health care, humane workload, and livable wages. In order to balance the scale of power, Hyatt workers and UNITE HERE! Local 19 (the hotel union) had roughly 100 community members do a surprise visit to Hyatt management to present them with a petition requesting that management allow the workers to decide if they want a union or not without company intimidation. Workers at the Hyatt Regency Santa Clara have publicly announced that they want a fair process to choose a union, which is card-check neutrality. While a crowd of that size waiting in a hotel lobby could get rowdy, it stayed calm and quiet and patiently waited while a handful of Hyatt employees and community delegates met with management on the second floor. After 20 minutes or so of communicating the message that the Hyatt workers are part of a larger community that supports them, the delegation team came down and were met by one outburst by the larger group: an old-school farmworker clap.
Once the group was outside, the workers, mainly housekeepers, had a battle-tested demeanor. They were relieved, proud, confident and fired up. The dozen or so workers were mostly Latina and Filipina women—some who had worked at the Hyatt for decades. One woman, Maribel Arroyo, was bubbling like she wanted to go back in for a second round. She said, “I have been working here for 22 years, and I can say that we have been suffering, waiting for a time to scream, because we are tired of it.” She went on to say she cleans over 20 rooms a day, a workload that is physically breaking her down.
The differences between a union and nonunion hotel housekeeper in Silicon Valley is stark. Housekeepers had typically been assigned 17 or more rooms each day to clean. Housekeepers at the union Fairmont, by contrast, are asked to clean14 rooms each day, and if housekeepers have several check-out rooms to clean, they are asked to clean less. Workers at the Hyatt have been paying up to $560 each month for family health care. Members of UNITE HERE! Local 19, on the other hand, typically pay $35 a month for family health care, including dental and vision coverage.
The organizing effort by the Hyatt workers is as urgent as ever, as the cost of living in Silicon Valley skyrockets, and working people struggle for some way, any way, to be part of a conversation about the fate of their lives. The notion of unionism may seem passé to many in Silicon Valley and a tool more aptly connected to the old economy—car factories, coal mines and the like. In fact, part of the reason for the low rate of unionism in Silicon Valley comes from the union movement’s inability to get a toehold as new industries and job types were created. But even in the new economy, unions— really just ways for workers to level the playing field—are vital. Even with the innovations and advances in Silicon Valley, ultimately, someone is still changing the sheets.
“a fair process to choose a union, which is card-check neutrality.”
Card check is a load of bull. Even if a worker did not want a union, they could be intimidated by the union organizer to sign the card. Having a secret ballot union election, the current practice, keeps both union and management from intimidating the workers.
See:
http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=OWI5NDYzODdlYzZlMWRiOWQ5ZmE4NzFmNDJmNDAxMzQ=
http://www.heritage.org/research/Labor/wm1366.cfm
Dave G, I don’t think anybody is arguing about whether the hotel workers in Santa Clara should join a union or not. That’s up to them to decide. What’s outrageous is this concept of “card check” replacing the time-honored practice of secret ballots. Yes, management should not intimidate the workers, but neither should the union.
Raj- Secret ballots have worked for US elections for a hundred years. If they are good enough to select Senators and Presidents, why aren’t they good enough to select a union?
And don’t tell me that secret ballots are prone to intimidation. In a secret ballot, no one knows how you vote, so no one can punish you for voting the wrong way. How do you intimidate me if I know you don’t know squat?
What in the world is “card check”?
leave us alone we dont want you and never have before. all of us have a rite to be heard stop harassing us you lie to us
Slave worker:
Follow the links in post #1 to understand what “card check” is and why it’s a bad idea.
You don’t know what you’re talking about..Secret ballot election is the only fair way to choose a union, NOT card check! In this way, all employees have the ability to learn both sides, make an informed decision and not be intimidated or coerced. A neutral government agency supervises the then secret ballot election and employees freely choose what they want….don’t listen to this stuff…check out unionfacts.com!
I have worked here for 19+ysr, and Hyatt has a opened door policy they have annomise survey’s twice a year and have hyatt talks with the general manager where we can have a voice, we bring up concerns and are prombles and issus get solved there is no need for a thrid party to get involed and take are hard earned money if only a hand full of people are not happy they can go and talk to the manager or are HR dept. They also can go work for another Hotel they can’t see a good thing when they have in front of them.
Raj, i could not agree more and it is so refreshing to see it in print. People need to
understand that a Union gives workers a way to
better their lives. It gives the workers at the
bottom rung of society a voice that all workers
should have. A fair wage and dignity are but a
few things that a Union can help with. It cost`s way to much money to live in Santa Clara County, that even Union Wages arn`t the awnser.
Plaridel Magsaysay explains why card check is such a bad idea. People will sign the cards just to make the annoying union rep go away. If the actual election is secret ballot then at least the worker can vote “no” in private and not get intimidated by the union [or management].
Unfortunately, the article is clearly favoring the union without enough facts nor input from the other side. I agree that the union can benefit certain workplaces, but not all. Everyone needs to understand that the UNION IS A BUSINESS. It is NOT a non-profit organization. It may help the people that pays DUES to them. The moment you stop paying, they stop helping.
I am Filipino and I will honestly tell you that a huge majority of the Filipino Hyatt employees are so much against the union. Being able to get a couple or a few Filipinos signed up does not represent the majority. It is exactly the opposite. The large majority DO NOT WANT the union.
I agree with Jcortez. Just like in any family, there will be problems and there are ways to resolve them. Is Union really the answer? Most employees do not believe this but the Union is convincing them that they are the answer, the savior.
Speaking of surprise visits, this is a well known FACT that the Union had made a large amount of SURPRISE VISITS to EMPLOYEES HOMES. How did they get the employees’ addresses? Maybe we can ask the union how it all went down. What does an employee do when a UNION rep goes to their house, knock on their door endlessly, ring their doorbell 10-15 times, and after telling them that you are not interested, gets confronted in the hotel’s garage to ask you the same request, which is to sign their authorization card? This has really happened to many employees over and over again. Do the employees just sign so they can stop the harassment? Do they call the cops? How many times do you have to say NO. Which part of NO is not clear?
The livelihood of around 300 employees are at stake. To agree with the union without knowing the facts is such a dangerous decision to make. If you know all the facts and still agree to go with the union, then everyone needs to respect that. At the end of the day, the decision that each employee makes will affect each one of them for a very long time, and will also affect those that will join the hotel later on. A card check is not a fair way and does not represent the opinion of the majority, however, this is the easiest way for the Union to get in. A secret ballot is the only fair, not threatening way to decide whether or not the majority of the employees are in favor or against the union.
No one can guarantee what is going to happen in the future whether the employees choose to accept the union or not. No one can guarantee that this is will winning decision for the employees or management or both. But one thing is for sure, if the Union is accepted, the clear and guaranteed winner is the Union. Remember, the UNION IS A BUSINESS. The moment they are in, they will start making MONEY.
For the sake of the 300 employees, Filipinos, Latinos, and all nationalities, PLEASE REPORT THE FACTS. These 300 employees have families just like you and me. Let’s put ourselves in their shoes, not only of 1 person or 2 or 5 but the majority if not all.
DO THE RIGHT THING.
Election is not fair! Managers get to scare employees and lie to us! They already try to do that with card check, when they are supposed to be neutral. I can’t imagine what they would do if they were given free reign!
The Union is NOT a 3rd party and it is NOT a business! I signed the card when my friend at the hotel asked me to sign, NOT a stranger. I stay in this fight because I know that it will benefit me and my family, and because I trust my friends at the hotel. That is Union!
And I know that we are expected to pay dues. Every group needs money to run. If I pay $44 a month, but get free health care like other Union hotels do, then it is already worth it! The Union has a small group of people working to support all the downtown Union hotels, WHILE we are fighting for decent pay and ACTUAL RESPECT in the the hotel! I remember when I first started a little over a year ago when one of the higher managers was YELLING at a steward to get more utensils to the restaurant when the department was already super busy and understaffed, EVEN THOUGH THE RESTAURANT WAS SLOW!!! That is not respect!
I am the Union. The committee is the Union. The workers are the Union. We are NOT a business, we are people with families who deserve more!
DO THE RIGHT THING!
To: “Hyatt Worker in San Jose”.
There’s no Hyatt in San Jose, it’s a Holiday Inn franchise.
Clearly the reporter is biased, but let’s not talk about that. Let’s not even go into details of hotels who are not treating their employees well. I’d like to ask a simple question:
“If I knocked on your front door asking for $50 a month and assuring you that I’m only watching out for you and your family’s welfare, would you believe me?”
You probably won’t even open your front door.
I’m baffled why folks refuse to understand and comprehend that there’s no such thing as a free lunch. The real unfortunate reality is that those who wind up suffering are the workers because they’re pawns in a much bigger picture.
I’ve been in Local 2 and 856 in the past. While certainly wages, healthcare, and “respect” was touted, the difference in my opinion was really minimal and certainly not worth the dues that I paid monthly to Union’s coffers.
Sorry, but I decide my life and what to make of it, not someone else. If I had a choice to join the union or not I’d certainly choose the latter.
Think carefully about your decision, because things are not what they seem.
Unions—the folks that brought our nation the standard 5 day week! did you think that large corporations did that? Do you think corporations are “people” with large hearts? No way!
As a former hotel employee (member AFL CIO) I can tell you, NO employer is looking out for the worker…no way!