Boycott Launched Against Hyatt Andaz

Hotel workers and labor organizers from Unite Here Local 11 gathered outside the Hyatt Andaz hotel in West Hollywood on Wednesday afternoon to announce a boycott against three LA-area Hyatt hotels.

Workers called for boycotts of the Hyatt Andaz West Hollywood, Hyatt Regency Century Plaza and Hyatt Regency Long Beach. Members of religious and human rights organizations also pledged to boycott the hotels by moving their annual events to other venues.

Approximately $500,000 in business events has been, or will be diverted, from area Hyatt hotels as a result of the boycott, organizers say.

"We've had our big awards [ceremony] at the Century Plaza for several years, and when Unite Here told us about the boycott, we pulled our dinner and moved it downtown to a worker-friendly hotel," said Marc Soloman, marriage director of Equality California.

"It's by far our largest event, over a thousand people attend and it's a very sizable business for the hotel. We made it very clear about why were doing so," Soloman said.

Leslie Gersicoff from the Jewish Labor Committee announced at the news conference her group's support of the boycott and said it would also be moving its annual event to another location. Rev. Jerry Stinson from the First Congregational Church in Long Beach also pledged to honor the boycott and expressed his concerns for non-union hotel workers in Long Beach.

Max Ortiz, a restaurant server at the Century Plaza hotel, said in a statement that "As a fine dining server, calling for a boycott of our hotel is not an easy decision, but Hyatt's actions have left us no choice. Hyatt's cutbacks and layoffs have forced those of us working to do the job of two or three people, while many of my co-workers cannot make ends meet." 

Miguel Angel Mendoza has been working at the Andaz for five years and says the hotel has been implementing a "cross-classification" system for its employees. This allows the hotel to cut back on costs by placing one employee in multiple positions at once.

Mendoza works as a houseman at the hotel often cleaning the hallways, elevators and stairs, but says the cross-classification system can place employees as busboys, cooks or room service. Mendoza said he often feels intimidated because he's scared he could get laid off if he doesn't do the various jobs. 

The boycott represents the latest escalation in a labor dispute with Hyatt locally and nationally. A one-day demonstration was held outside Hyatt hotels just before Labor Day to call attention to workers who have been without a contract since November.

"Instead of helping them move forward now that their business climate is improving, they want to make this recession permanent for the workers and are unwilling to give them a fair contract," said Tom Walsh, president of Unite Here Local 11.

Michel Morauw, general manager for the Andaz West Hollywood, issued the following statement: "Although we are still recovering from what has been the most difficult economic environment in decades, the proposals we have made to Local 11 leadership commit to substantial increase in compensation. A boycott only threatens our city's fragile economic recovery and the very jobs union leadership should be working to protect. Union leadership clearly prefers to focus its energy on tactics intended to grow its membership rather than working to achieve a fair contract." 

Wednesday's boycott announcement comes nine months after union contracts with the Hyatt Century Plaza and Andaz expired. According to Unite Here, Hyatt hotel workers have endured staff cuts, reduced hours and excessive injury rates.