12:15pm | In the past, it was the Long Beach Hilton that came under fire when labor organizations made claims of employee mistreatment. Today, the same labor organization is making similar claims about the Long Beach Hyatt.
A Los Angeles organization, UNITE HERE Local 11, filed charges against the Hyatt Regency Long Beach with the National Labor Relations Board due to alleged discrimination, according to the Press-Telegram today. Employees at the Hyatt who joined the workers union were allegedly interrogated, threatened and watched very closely.
The P-T article by Karen Robes Meeks quotes one front desk agent at the Hyatt who says that she has been treated very differently by management since aligning with the union:
“It makes you feel as though they’re trying to watch out to see who’s being part of it and wanting to be part of the union,” she said. “That’s what makes us feel uncomfortable. You know they have their eye on you.”
In previous years, UNITE HERE has battled the Hilton over similar claims. In late 2008, however, some Hilton employees who said they did not support the union claimed that the group was trying to drive business away from the hotel by making loud noises as early as 6:00am and waking guests. UNITE HERE maintained that they were simply helping the employees organize for better wages and benefits.