LBPOST.com: Hyatt May Sell Long Beach Hotel, Labor Protest Tonight

Thursday, September 2, 2010

Hyatt May Sell Long Beach Hotel, Labor Protest Tonight

by Ryan ZumMallen | Long Beach News | 07.22.10 |

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10:00am | The Press-Telegram reported last night that Hyatt Hotels Corp. will begin the process of selling its downtown Long Beach Hyatt Regency location, as protests are planned this evening in front of the hotel over the treatment of employees.

Is the timing of the sale related to ongoing battles with Los Angeles unions claiming to represent the Hyatt hotel workers? Hard to tell. Press-Telegram reporter Karen Robes Meeks says that Hyatt is trying to expand its brand, and selling the Long Beach hotel along with nine other locations will allow the company to "free up capital and pursue other underserved markets."

Hyatt would apparently continue to operate the downtown Long Beach hotel with the same staff, even if the property is sold.

"We have a strategy to recycle our capital invested in hotel assets over time to ensure that our capital is utilized in a manner best suited to improve preference with our guests, associates, and owners," the Press-Telegram quotes Global Head of Real Estate and Development Steve Haggerty, in a statement.

"In the case of any asset sales, it is our intention to retain brand affiliation within the Hyatt family. The focus of our acquisition activity is in key locations where Hyatt brands are not represented or are underrepresented."

The hotel near Rainbow Harbor at the intersection of Shoreline and Pine Avenue came under fire in May when the Los Angeles labor union UNITE HERE Local 11 filed charges of employee discrimination against the Hyatt Regency. Tonight, the Long Beach Coalition For Good Jobs And A Healthy Community will demonstrate against the hotel in Long Beach and 15 other locations across the country.

"Hotel workers in Long Beach and across North America have endured staff cuts, reduced hours, and excessive injury rates," reads an e-mail notice about the protest tonight.�"Chicago-based Hyatt wants to take more away and lock workers into recession contracts even as the economy rebounds. Now, on July 22nd, thousands of hotel workers in 15 cities across North America are standing up to people like the Pritzkers who run Hyatt, one of the wealthiest and most politically influential families in America."

The group alleges that Hyatt stock has soared during the economic recovery while management at the Long Beach Hyatt Regency have failed to pay proper overtime and denied workers legally-mandated meal and rest breaks. The demonstration will begin at 5:00pm today.

Comments

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18 Comments so far.

Rickatsea
What is at issue here is a union effort to take control of the business. It will have the help of the city leaders because they know who will give them donations for their reelection campaign. I noticed the union is claiming they are entitled to more pay and more benefits because the hotels refuse to give more EVEN AS THE ECONOMY REBOUNDS! Am I missing something? I know an employee who has been there for over 16 years and he feels he has been treated fairly. He does not want the union. What we do not need is to have the unions make us into a NEW YORK situation where a hotel room costs more than most can afford. There are two sides to this story and I am hearing only one.

Aukala
Is the world going mad? Because the owners are a wealthy family the workers are going to protest! If there were no wealth there would be no workers. If someone has been denied overtime or lunch breaks that person should file with the EEOC. A union will ruin this hotel and price it out of business then no one will have a job there.

Givemeabreak
Clearly you misread the article. The hotel has refused to provide "legally mandated meal and rest breaks" and "pay proper overtime" as worked. Stop pushing chamber talking points and start looking at the whole picture. We are not new york, but we are not some third world country either... And I'm sure your hotel worker buddy wouldn't have stayed at the Hyatt for 16 years, if he didn't have a strong contract. Again, please don't insult educated readers with your talking points.

readytoPICKET
Sure, Rick, it's a bummer that the only way lower-wage workers get a say over their working conditions is through large unions. Especially when the few at the top, the Pritzkers in this case, are pulling the political strings, you've got to play their game to get people a fair wage. Documented allegations of discriminating against gay employees, not giving proper breaks, and unsafe working conditions are a cause for concern when we're talking about 400,000 jobs. It's very easy to be anti-union, Rick. This cynical take is losing its teeth to people like me, though, as the ways that big corporations are blatantly abusing workers as wage slaves is becoming appalling. And it's all happening so that the (imaginary) middle class can still afford to get a nice hotel room. Shame!

Interesting
Ryan, please check your statement. In the second paragraph you say "closing the hotel" Is that really what you meant to say in that in your very next paragraph you say that "Hyatt would continue to operate the hotel with the same staff. Just feel it is important that proof reading take place to insure you are saying what you mean to say. As I understand it the building is for sale but it would not affect the operation of the facility at all.

Weary
Sounds like an expansion effort by the unions. Rickatsea nailed it with the word "entitled". If the workers are entitled to share in the profits of a business then they should share the losses and take the risk right along with the shareholders.

LB Community Member
The workers are fighting for dignity and respect on the job. Denied meal breaks & overtime pay?? The Hyatt continues to profit off the hard labor of the hotel workers and shows little in return to workers & the local community who's tax money supports the hotel's existence in our city. I have spoken with several hotel workers and their family members who shared how they struggle to put food on the table w/poor wages & expensive healthcare. Who is really hurt & bearing the weight of this issue - the big Hyatt corporation or the hard working families? The workers are a big part of the success of the Hyatt & worker's deserve a living wage to support themselves & their family. So who is really bearing the weight & hurt by this issue - the big Hyatt corporation or the hard working families?

Stop them
Unions destroy every industry they control.

Dennis
What is the over and under on number of local elected officials present and perhaps giving speeches? Five? Seven?

Ryan P
Amen, Rickatsea. Unions have been killing business in America for decades now. Companies are relocating out of the country where they can pay less and not have to fork over ridiculous benefits. Take the Dole Pineapple company. They used to get pineapples from Hawaii. Why did they move to Chile? Well in Hawaii the unions were making them pay employees ridiculously high wages for a labor job, full health and retirement benefits for everyone, and of course all of the union break laws. On the topic of Hyatt, I have seen LOTS of Hyatt chains close over the last few years. I don't think they are doing well financially.

E Village Res
Its not Hyatt's fault people are struggling to put food on their table. They knew what the job paid when they accepted. Pathetic that one of industries Long Beach actually has still (Convention and Hotel Business) is being threatened because people aren't skilled enough for better jobs. This way they will use unions to up their place on the socio-economic spectrum instead of sacrifice and work. They're trash.

Ryan ZumMallen, Editor
Dear Interesting, you are correct. The article originally stated that Hyatt was closing the location and that is incorrect. We have changed that portion. Thanks very much, everyone, for reading and commenting.

Eagle Eye
Good for Hyatt.

Good for them for escaping these ridiculous ENTITLEMENT minded unions and members.

CHARLIE
If you think the unions are bad, wait until Obama gets through with them in higher taxes to cover his behind in spend spend & spend...

Me Oh My
I agree with Aukala. If there are wage, meal and overtime violations, file complaints with the EEOC. We have pro-union democrats in federal power. They'd be happy to follow-up on "signed under the penalty of perjury" complaints. In my opinion, if the EEOC isn't slamming the hotel, the protesters have a credibility issue.

ex employee
I used to work there and loved it. There was a previous NLRB charge filed....I know because I know the employee involved. Union rep....imagine. The charges were all thrown out when the hotel responded. However, no surprise here, the dropping of all charges never made the paper because the Union got what they were looking for......attention at the cost of others.

ProudUnionSupporter
Hey ex employee are you a hotel plant? The Hilton LB seems to do the same thing. Talking crap about the union under the guise of an "employee". And if you are a former employee maybe you should talk to current employees who have been injured on the job or threatened for daring to voice concern about working conditions. Apparently those of you opposed to union on this page also oppose America. Having a voice on the job is a fundamental freedom that we enjoy in this country. Finally Ryan...you're just ignorant. You support companies moving overseas to exploit foreign workers? Sure we've had it good in this country having cheap products. Problem is, the rest of the world is catching up and as evidenced by the Hyatt, our own working conditions and wages are starting to mirror those of poorer nations. If you think Chile is so good, why don't you move there!

Viva LB
There is so much ignorance here, I do not know where to start. Perhaps with the Unions claiming that the economy is "recovering". Really? This was right next to the article that points out 13.5% unemployment in Long Beach. Nice. And to poster "givemeabreak" if you have to tell people that you are "educated" in your post, you are probably not. Truly educated people dont need to profess that they are educated.

Long Beach News

LBPOST.com Managing Editor Ryan ZumMallen keeps up on all the current and breaking Long Beach news.

Ryan ZumMallen has served as the managing editor of the LBPOST.com since 2007. He graduated from CSULB with a degree in Print Journalism in 2008 and is a member of the 2009 class of Leadership Long Beach. You can find him on various basketball courts around the city.

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