The AFL-CIO has issued a boycott of Hyatt hotels to call attention to the company’s poor treatment of its workers. UNITE HERE, which represents hospitality workers, sought the action after years of documented injustice by the chain.
In calling for the boycott, the AFL-CIO noted that several Hyatt facilities do have union contracts. Those locations are not included in this campaign. (A list of those hotels, as well as more information about the struggle, can be found at www.hyatthurts.org )
The AFL-CIO joins a truly global fight for justice at the hotel chain. Late last month, trade union activists and concerned citizens around the country held demonstrations to support the efforts of workers at Hyatt hotels to secure union representation to combat a pattern of low wages and extensive abuse. Protests took place in 20 US cities, including Los Angeles, Honolulu, San Francisco, Chicago, Baltimore, Indianapolis, Seattle, and Boston.
According to a spokesperson for UNITE HERE, “The global boycott marks the largest escalation to date in an ongoing campaign for basic workers’ rights. Hyatt has singled itself out as the worst employer in the hotel industry by abusing its housekeepers and other hotel workers, and imposing dangerous and health-threatening workloads.”
Along with the AFL-CIO, the International Union of Food, Agricultural, Restaurant, Catering, Tobacco and Allied Workers’ Association (which includes virtually every union representing hotel workers worldwide) and nearly 5,000 individuals and organizations have pledged to honor boycotts called by Hyatt workers.