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Hyatt's problems increase as chain is boycotted
The Hyatt hotel chain is facing more trouble after firing nearly 100 housekeepers and replacing them with contract workers. Though a rep for Hyatt has denied that the fired workers were "tricked" into training their replacements and were not given severance, it seems the public isn't buying it.
Union officials at the Boston Taxi Drivers Association have said that the 1700 drivers in the union will boycott Hyatt Boston locations, refusing to pick-up or drop-off fares there, unless the housekeepers are reinstated. The Massachusetts Governor has even gotten in on the action, saying that unless Hyatt rehires the fired workers, he'll direct all state employees to stay at other hotels.
In a letter he sent to the CEO of Hyatt, the Governor said that while he understood that tough economic times meant making tough decisions, he thought that the manner in which the staff was let go was "so inconsistent with the expressed values of the Hyatt organization and basic fairness" that he did not think that "any other remedy other than full reinstatement" was appropriate. He also said he didn't wish to instate a boycott but that the workers were treated so unfairly that he had no choice but to do so.
Of course, Hyatt fired back, saying "We do not understand why the Governor is putting more Massachusetts jobs at risk instead of working with us to find jobs for employees affected by the realities of these unprecedented economic challenges." Looks like neither side will be backing down, and the only people who'll suffer will be the workers.
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Filed under: North America, United States, Hotels and Accommodations, News
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 5)
Richard Sep 25th 2009 2:50PM
Oh, good. Let's drive a hotel out of business. That will create more jobs.
mike Sep 25th 2009 8:18PM
This boycott will not put this hotel under, get real. The economy can only flourish with a solid middle class. Which means good paying jobs.
drahm Sep 26th 2009 12:25AM
boston is so corrupt that poison ivy won't go near there. Check out the multi trillions so called "education" to (learn reading writing and arithmetic)dumb down folks so remarks like this are made.. I'm a former CIO steelworker union member and these unions pay to put stupid uncooperative people on a job that pays super well.. Janitors, service union folks,,,$17 bucks/hr to push a broom??? If the laborers didn't have to pay absurd dues to coddle the strong arm goons who are putting corporations on a non profit sled to destruction; operating costs could be beneficial like a profit sharing deal between the worker and busines, without Nazi poltitions hands in the till of the Service Employee' union dues cache. This goof you have Governing (excuse the expression ) just has another knee jerk "union" cab driver "leader" telling the poor slobs under his thumb to not pick up or drop any passengers at the Hyatt... Good job Bum, your hypocracy now has struggling guys with less income, who can barely cover the graft taxation, the cost of gasoline also taxed close to $0.50 a gallon, wiwthout mentioning the permit, the license tag, and maintenence so they can even move the cab... Hyatt is right, you fat cats can go out and find jobs for the victims in the domino effect the goons created. We did walk the picket line, we saw fellow workers beaten up, some with lead pipes Like the public don't see usually, Some skulls cracked so the victims became injured and they couldn't find work later on and taxpayers had to support the guys in institutions. Hope that scenerio doesn;t bother uninformed citizens too much.. The 1968 Chicago Convention was another destructive infiltration of the beautiful Michigan Ave. lakefront by radicals who only knew or cared to know what was behind the underground financial destruction of America. Liars bought the votes of decent citizens viewing the propaganda/ The fact that other cabbies or limo privately owned companies now take the place of those least able to be out of work don't matter to the Governor... He still goes home or to his mansion and loaded refrigerator of booze and beefsteaks. These little guys dont have ziip,, Boston was where good long suffering Christian men had to dare death and reprisal for joining together for the common good under God to declare No More Taxation Without Representation... Massachusettes sold it's soul to the corruption smelled round the world. I wonder if Nathan Hale would still say "I have but one life to give for My country" today as he was being hanged. You are one of the compassionate souls who feel empathy for your neighboring citizens.. I do too I picked onions from sun up to sun down for 2 cents a bunch and was lucky to be employed.. At least I could buy a loaf of bread and quart of milk for my family. Unions pay for campaigns whether we like it or not.. so maybe folks might think that it would be better to be free and take home or work at a profit sharing place.. You just buried one of the rottenest corrupt tin god's in the Millenium.. and hypocrites in the equallly bought and paid for media likewise. St Peter has no pockets to line in his heavenly robes so I wonder how Bostonians will enter the pearly gates now.. Deuteronomy ch 14 thru 17 set down the rules ... check it out free....
robert romikitis Sep 26th 2009 10:28AM
its not the point of driving hotels out of business the workers do a great job and if someone thinks that making 17 hr is good money think again find out what these ceos make and when the prsesident gave the banks all the money and they gave themselves million dollarsbonuses. also the hotel didnt cut the jobs the replaced them with non union help putting these people on the unemployment line with no benefits there a thing with down sizing and cutting staff and replacing you tell the ceo managers supervisors take a pay cut or give up there bonuses and see what they say hotels charge enough especially in boston about time the goveneor stands up for the working people that was sen kennedy used to do and well miss him for that boycott the hyatt now
hello asca Sep 25th 2009 8:17PM
okay the Hyatt are acting like jerks and they will likely regret those firings even more in the comming weeks
Angel Sep 25th 2009 11:55PM
That is most definetely correct. I wish I would be forced to train someone to replace the skills I contribute to a company- that is downright rude and unjust. The Hyatt must be violating some form of labor law. I wish I was an attorney I would file an class action lawsuit against that company so fast their heads would spin.
andy Sep 25th 2009 9:02PM
This is the wave of the future. As more and more govt mandates, interventions and union problems develop, smart businesses are going to contract labor. Obongo still had card check up his dirty sleeve and that will just accelerate the more away form employees and toward contract or for fee workers. It will be a growth industry caused by the endless attacks on business by unions and the government.
lori Sep 25th 2009 8:28PM
The Hyatt is complaining about the governor getting involed and putting more jobs at risk when the dips just fired 100 people that make a lot of sence not. And that's not going to make the hotel go out of business. Maybe it should then they would know how the 100 people feel.
Tonnie Sep 25th 2009 8:34PM
Wow, people losing jobs? In 2009? Who'd've thought it?
Wake up, housekeeping. Do you have any idea how many thousands of workers found themelves unemployed this year alone? Without health insurance, without notice -- just gone.
I don't see how you think you're above such catastrophe.
I'm still paying for student loans, and I lost my job recently. I worked hard for four years to get a decent job and raise three children, and finally gotten a job I loved. And after six months, my whole department was let go. The economy, don't you know. And I'm sure folks from other departments will do what WE did, and they'll know how by having watched us.
I can't comment on whether or not you inadvertently "trained" the future housekeeping staff or not, I wasn't there. But why, exactly, do you expect to be unaffected by this economy again?
kris Sep 25th 2009 8:35PM
and the hundred was replaced by how many? maybe 60-70. at reduced wages. getting work is tough. i am a union person and i know we are on our way out. but not for years yet.let me see-a person making 10 bux an hour is gonna stay at your hotel? don't think so.maybe someone making 20 would. think on it.think of your own people
ted Sep 25th 2009 8:33PM
Its sad to see but the hyatt has always had problems with there employees and they brain wash them. ITS ABOUT TIME someone took them on. Hope the boycot works for the workers. I won't be staying at any hyatt hotel.
Bud Sep 25th 2009 8:50PM
The reason they did this was because of immagration legal battles they went through for hirring illegals.They were being fine'd thousands each day for all the illegals so they decided to give the employee headaches to a contracting company.So the X employees should go to the company that picked up all the work and get over it.Im not sure its a good thing of what happen but it does show us ICE is doing thier job and trying to save American jobs by going after the people who imspire illegals to come here in the first place.We have over 30 million illegals in the USA and 70% of them working.If you free that up in the job market you will see wages go up and jobs open to Americans that would never had the chance to get that job due to Corporate greed and abuse of immigrants.
neil Sep 26th 2009 9:21AM
the problem is contract labor only use illegal woakers and pay then around $5.00 an hr run all the sobs out of thr country and then the legals can keep there jobs
esafe24 Sep 25th 2009 8:54PM
I would never stay at any Hotel that fires to hire. It should be illegal if it is not already but it is sad to say there are a lot of scumbag company's that are laying off people while they hire more people doing the same work. But the government has no b@lls to do anything maybe we should fire all elected officials and replace them with lower paid people then taxes could go down.
Laura Sep 26th 2009 6:28AM
It's called CAPITALISM, and the gov. has no right to make this public decision to boycott. the gov. should stay out of it.
Cher Sep 25th 2009 9:00PM
The Hyatt filled job openings that didn't exist yet DARE to criticize and complain that the Governor is getting involved. Shame on Hyatt for attempting to shift blame and say the Governor's boycott is putting more jobs at risk. Hyatt risked the jobs of 100 of their housekeepers without their knowledge AND made them train their replacements, again without their consent or knowledge.Those 100 job openings didn't exist before they fired these people. When...not if...they let the new workers go, there will be 200 hardworking people made jobless, because Hyatt is not about to eat crow and rehire the former employees. What a racket Hyatt has going for themselves. It's going to be a long, cold winter for them and I hope they're prepared for the fallout from this ignorant decision. A boycott will send a trong message that this behavior is not acceptable and is intolerable in the hospitality industry. When they lose their regular core customers, the financial impact will be felt because all it takes is one person to tell 10 of their friends. The Governor's statement has already reached thousands..........
Rich Sep 25th 2009 9:11PM
To top it all off, The company that is contracting the "new housekeepers" is from outside Massachusetts and they are paying the replacements LESS money and offering NO BENEFITS at all. It was on the new in Massachusetts last night and none of the things I mention were in this article. There are also 3 Hyatt's in Boston which this boycott affects.
trustme Sep 25th 2009 9:17PM
If the nation were a person, the Commonwealth of Mass would be the ass.
ME Sep 25th 2009 9:20PM
Why should we boycott the Hyatt? If they are illegal aliens they DON'T DESERVE THOSE JOBS. If they want to work and make an income then they need to become a legal citizen of the USA and try to get their job back. Those jobs should be given Americans. If that means a contractor then so be it. Shame on the Govenor for getting involved. They Hyatt is free enterprise, they did not just do away with the jobs, they gave them to other employees. What is the Govenor's bitch? There is still money pumping into the economy. Go Hyatt, make your own decisions. We don't need more government to get involved. For those cab drivers??? they are stupid for taking potential money away from their family.
rich Sep 25th 2009 9:23PM
According to the news channels in Boston, NONE of these workers were illegal aliens.