Hotel Boycott Launch and March

Submitted by dcjwj on Wed, 03/17/2010 - 8:44pm.
25 Mar 2010 - 5:00pm
25 Mar 2010 - 6:30pm

Stand with Hotel Workers

Thursday, March 25th
5pm
Westin City Center
1400 M St NW

Columbia Sussex, a national hotel owner with several hotels in the local area, has been using the economic downturn as an excuse to cut workers wages and benefits to distressing levels. Columbia Sussex is currently engaged in bitter labor disputes at four of its union properties, including the Sheraton City Centre in Baltimore and the Hilton Crystal City in Arlington.

At each of these hotels the Company has declared impasse after months or years of fruitless negotiations in which the Company made no consequential changes to its opening proposals. As a result the Company has implemented, without Union agreement, proposals which have:
· Reduced work opportunities for long-time employees
· Eliminated sick days
· Eliminated seniority rights
· Increase d employee co-pays for Dental, Optical, and Health Insurance Increased housekeeper workloads
· Forced workers to work at several jobs at the same time

At each of these hotels workers have called on the public to boycott these properties until a fair contract can be reached.

Locally Columbia Sussex owns the Westin City Centrer located at 14th and M St. NW. Workers at this non-union property are exposed to the same kind of cost-cutting without the benefit of a Union that is fighting to maintain decent working standards.

As a result UNITE HERE International Union has called for, and we have endorsed, a boycott of the Westin City Centre to be launched on March 25, 2010.