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Saturday, May 4, 2013

Labor Strife at Hyatt House Hotel

 Hyatt House, Woodfin Redux?
Emeryville Councilwoman Jennifer West
joined the protesters Friday.

Talks broke down between members of an incipient labor union and management at Emeryville's Hyatt House leading to a protest picket line of approximately 100 workers Friday.  Union organizers told the Tattler the contention centers around wages and work conditions but bad faith negotiating on the managers part is central to the protest.  Union Committee members say a colleague was disciplined and written up for poor work performance, a false claim, the day before the protest as a way to intimidate the Committee.  The black mark on the committee member's record, the first, could ultimately lead to termination.  The employee in question has a stellar work performance history for four years prior to Thursday, union organizers were quick to point out.  Management officials denied the charges.
Union organizers say talks broke down after management broke their promise and refused to answer questions regarding particulars for organizing a union at the hotel.

Coincidentally, the same building, located at 5800 Shellmound Avenue, was the site of a multi-year protest of Woodfin Suites Hotel based on non-compliance of an Emeryville living wage for hotel workers law.  Woodfin lost their gambit to deny the workers their back wages after the law took effect.  After the court ruling, Woodfin sold the building and moved out of Emeryville.


  1. Is this really about justice. Here EBASE has organized a march against an employer for a minor issue of dicipline. Justice happens when both sides of an issue have a chance to speak their peace. I notice the Tattler does not include any comments from management. It looks to me as if EBASE is trying to pick a fight to force this hotel to have a union. The issue can't be wages, now that we have Measure C. Why don't we just boycott every business that is non-union. That's the real issue, and then see how many businesses would still be in town?

    Perhaps the biggest disappointment is Council Member West rushing to judgment on a issue without considering all the facts. Why does the city council have to be involved in a private dispute between an employer and an employee? Maybe you should focus on worker injustice at city hall where you could save taxpayer money.

    If a group of employees attempt to organize a union, (backed by EBASE, do they become exonerated from following workplace rules? Did this employee violate the rules? Does that even matter? Are you picketing the hotel because it's non-union?

    1. Perhaps you didn't read the whole story; the issue is about management attempting to intimidate union organizers and management attempting to foil union organizing. Remember, workers have a right to collectively bargain in America (until the Republican party takes away that right). The workers at Hyatt House are using a tactic that's always available to any workers, the right to protest.

      Measure C, the Emeryville living wage for hotel workers law, only raised the wages up a little bit...these workers obviously want more. To stop them, you'd have to get a Republican super majority in both houses and in California as well. Also, Councilwoman Nora Davis worked hard against Measure C, so you might want to vote for her as well.

      You're free to boycott any business you want for any reason you want.

      Management refused to comment for this story other than to deny the charges the workers are leveling at them...that's why there's no comments from the management.

      I can't speak for Councilwoman West but I don't see any "rush to judgement". She interviewed management and the workers and made her call, something she is free to do as a citizen. She is not claiming to represent the City Council. Again, if this is not to you're liking, I suggest you vote Republican.

      The Union Committee says the worker in question did not violate any workplace rules...that's the point of the protest.

      The hotel is being picketed because it's non-union and the management is engaging in unethical perhaps unlawful activity, just like the Woodfin Hotel. It's legal for people to protest in this fashion. The Republican party has a better answer for you if all of this bothers you. Good luck.

    2. Friendly suggestion to Emeryville's Tattler-in-Chief: do what you can to favor responses from multiple readers over back-and-forth debates between two inidividuals.

      This blog is great. The local issues it raises really matter, yet for many of us this is the only place we get to read about them and to post our reactions.

      The responses are interesting in themselves, but more so when they come from a number of readers and less so when it's just two people hammering away at each other.

      For the Hyatt House issue, I can see how someone might view it as springing from a minor issue, though if you count protesters, the issue's important to a quite a number of us.

    3. To the first commenter-
      Why are you rushing to judgment when you castigate councilwoman West? Why do you assume she didn't "consider all the facts"? Maybe it's because she came out on the side of the workers is what causes you such dismay.