Councilmember Suja Lowenthal discusses Hyatt unionization, as Hyatt Regency GM Steve D’Agostino (left) and Mayor Bob Foster (right) look on. Photo by Greggory Moore.
A half-dozen years of worker protests and calls to boycott Long Beach’s two Hyatt hotels came to an end Monday with a joint press conference announcing that workers at the hotels have unionized.
In a third-floor conference room at City Hall, Hyatt Regency General Manager Steve D’Agostino announced that last week an independent election judge verified a vote by Hyatt employees to be represented collectively by UNITE HERE Local 11.
“We’re very excited about that,” said D’Agostino. “I know there’s been a lot of conversation over the years about what does Hyatt think [about unionization], but Hyatt welcomes and embraces [the unionization]. We always want to do what our employees want, and we’ve always fought that battle for our employees.”
Instrumental in the decision by Hyatt management to bring in UNITE HERE to meet with employees was the November passage of Measure N, which mandates what supporters call a “living wage” for employees of hotels with more than 99 rooms. That election result sparked communication between the hotels and city officials, particularly 2nd District Councilmember Suja Lowenthal, who has long been a supporter of UNITE HERE.
“Once the [city] government saw […] what the voters wanted, it got government involvement to bring the hotels and UNITE HERE together, and it opened up the door to see what the employees at the hotels thought,” D’Agostino said. “[…] In talking to UNITE HERE and to Hyatt, we were able to figure out, ‘Hey, you know what? If that many voters are [saying] they want Measure N, maybe we should listen to see what the hotel employees want, too. So opened up the doors and invited UNITE HERE to come in and speak to the employees, and they [i.e., the employees] voted.”
“[This is] a story of how things can be, how we can have more things for everyone, and how we can have supposedly conflicting values come together,” said Lowenthal, who attended Monday’s press conference along with Mayor Bob Foster and fellow councilmembers Robert Garcia, Al Austin and Steven Neal. “We’re here to hear about how a corporation can understand that not only is it important to serve the customer, not only is it important to serve the shareholders, but it’s [also] important to serve the workers who break their backs to make sure that we are all successful.”
Foster labeled the Hyatt as “a real[ly] good commercial partner with the city” and praised the hotels’ decision to follow up a recent $40 million of hotel upgrades with an upgrade of its relationship with its employees.
{loadposition latestbusiness}”[N]ow it seems to me they’re making an investment outside of infrastructure [and] in probably the most important part of capital: human capital,” Foster said. “I’m gratified that they have reached an agreement to sit down and hold discussions. […] This is going to be good for the city, good for the Hyatt, and more importantly, good for all the people who work for the hotel industry in town.”
Representatives from the labor side also praised Hyatt, saying that former disputes are now in the past.
“We should reward the employers that do right by the community in which they live,” said Maria Elena Durazo, executive secretary-treasurer of Los Angeles County Federation of Labor.
“The Hyatt is open for business,” said Gary Hytrek, sociology professor CSU Long Beach and member of the Long Beach Community for Good Jobs and Healthy Living, referencing labor’s former calls for a boycott against the hotels. “[…] We commend the Hyatt for acting as a true community partner and prioritizing union jobs that raise the quality of life for Long Beach residents.”
D’Agostino noted that over 25 percent of Hyatt employees nationwide are represented by unions, and said that Hyatt will continue to support unionization efforts. UNITE HERE Local 11 spokesperson Leigh Shelton noted that while union issues with the Hyatt chain as a whole are unresolved, she is hopeful that what has now transpired with Hyatt’s Long Beach properties may be a bellwether of progress.
“The Hyatt here in Long Beach has demonstrated that it is great employer, that it is leading the way in the City of Long Beach to respect the wishes of its workers and set a new standard,” she says. “[…] There are workers in lots of different Hyatts [nationwide] that have been trying to organize a union through a fair process. This doesn’t change what’s going on in other parts of the country. But here in Long Beach, no more boycott. But here in Long Beach, UNITE HERE and Hyatt are moving forward in an incredibly positive direction.”
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