pnorman
(1000+ posts)
Send PM |
Profile |
Ignore
|
Thu Jul-17-03 07:24 PM
Original message |
Dennis at Seatac on Saturday |
|
(I just had the below forwarded to me. Maddeningly, the date wasn't specified so I'll have to assume that it refers to THIS Saturday)
From: Allan Paulson Sent: Wednesday, July 16, 2003 9:10 PM To: Tbasac@yahoogroups.com Subject: Walk with Hotel and Restaurant Workers Please Come Walk with Hotel and Restaurant Workers And Presidential Candidate Rep Dennis Kucinich Saturday, 3 PM at the Doubletree Hotel SeaTac (corner of S. 188th Street and International Blvd.) Let's Show our Support for Workers in the face of an Unfair Contract and Union Busting Tactics
Sally Kinney and I have been acting as community observers in negotiations between HERE Local 8 and the Doubletree and Hilton Hotels (both owned by Hilton). The workers have rejected the Doubletree's 'best and final offer' and authorized a strike. Hilton's offer is similar and will probably be rejected as well. Rather than begin a work stoppage, the workers are choosing to 'walk and work,' informational picketing in front of the Doubletree from 8-10 AM and 4-6 PM every day this week, and probably next, too. In retaliation, Doubletree's management is intimidating employees in an effort to get them to resign from the Union in order to keep their jobs in the event of a strike. Visible community support is very meaningful at this moment. The hotels are dependent on community business and good will. They will notice our presence! So please come out and join the line any day, but particularly on Saturday when Rep Dennis Kucinich has volunteered to join the workers at 3:30 PM. The Issues: Health Care: for the first time, the hotels are insisting that employees pay a portion of their health insurance premium. This wipes out about 1/3 of the wage increase that they are being offered. While the amount of co-pay is fixed contractually for the first 3 years of the contract, it is being left open in the fourth year, so employees do not have control over what they might be asked to pay. While many us are used to paying a portion of our health insurance premium, we do not make less than $9 an hour, as most of these workers do. Parking: For the first time employees would have to pay for their own offsite parking. This means if they cannot park at the hotel because the spaces designated for employees are full, they will have to find and pay for their own offsite parking, an expense of up to $15 a day. There is no guarantee that the hotel will allow any employee onsite parking in the future, making the potential cost to workers unknown and astronomical. It could easy wipe out any wage increase and much more. The hotels are telling workers to catch rides or leave their cars at park and rides and bus in--advice which is absurd in light of the complex child care arrangements and off-hour shifts that many of these workers have. Come Show our Community Support for Hotel and Restaurant Workers!
|