Judge rules against corporate effort to block minimum wage increase

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December 29, 2010, The Seattle Times

A Kittitas County judge Wednesday rejected a request to halt a 12-cent increase to the state’s minimum wage that takes effect this weekend.

Superior Court Judge Scott Sparks ruled against the summary judgment request made by a coalition of business groups that sued the state last month over the decision to raise the minimum wage to $8.67 an hour.

The groups opposed to the increase argue that the minimum wage can’t be increased in 2011 because this year’s Consumer Price Index did not reflect a net increase in the cost of living since 2008. A voter initiative ties the state’s minimum wage to the index.

The coalition opposed to the increase includes the Washington Farm Bureau, the Washington Restaurant Association and the Washington Retail Association.

Click here to read the rest of the article.

Seattle Arctic Club Workers Ratify First Contract

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December 21, 2010

Hotel workers at the Doubletree Arctic Club Hotel in Downtown Seattle ratified their first ever Union contract. The agreement provides workers with wage increases, free health coverage for individuals, safe workloads for housekeepers, as well as job security protections through a no subcontracting pledge from the employer.

The ratification vote marked the end of a long bargaining process that began over a year ago. The workers won union recognition in September of 2009, and have since worked hard to earn a strong first collective bargaining agreement. UNITE HERE Local 8 represents housekeepers, cooks, dishwashers, servers, banquet, front desk, and bell positions at the hotel. Read more

COMMUNITY BRIEFING: Red Lion Hotel Seattle Airport Negotiations, Thursday, December 16, 12pm

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Support Workers’ Fight for Job Security Protections

Join UNITE HERE! Local 8 and our members at the Red Lion Hotel Seattle Airport for a “Happy Holidays to ALL” community briefing on Thursday, December 16th at 12:00 pm in front of the Red Lion.  We will update our allies on the Red Lion workers’ fight for job security protections after more than six months of negotiations. Read more

Sleep with the Right People

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Sleep with the Right People is a coalition between the LGBT community and UNITE HERE, a union representing over 300,000 hospitality and manufacturing workers across North America. Together, we fight for the fair and equal treatment of all individuals.

“The solidarity between the labor movement and the LGBT movement is a powerful coalition. In San Diego, the owner of the Manchester Grand Hyatt—the second largest Hyatt in North America—gave $125,000 to put Proposition 8 on the ballot. Our union and the LGBT community are boycotting the Manchester Grand Hyatt, because there is power in the union and there is power in coalition.”

–Cleve Jones,
Founder of the NAMES PROJECT AIDS Memorial Quilt
and Supporter of Sleep With The Right People

How to protect your next event from a possible labor dispute!

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Excused non-performance language and how it can protect your organization

Most excused non‐performance and force majeure clauses protect organizations from so‐called “Acts of God.” However, many such clauses also address other extraordinary events such as labor disputes, and an increasing number of these clauses include language that indemnify organizations for meeting cancellations caused by labor disputes. Such language has been successfully used by many organizations for this purpose.

More and more meeting planners recognize the need to protect themselves and their organizations from the potentially negative effects of labor disputes in this manner.

With the right language, you should be able to cancel your meeting without penalty in the event of a labor dispute.

The following clause can help protect your group in case of a hotel labor dispute:

EXCUSED NON-PERFORMANCE DUE TO LABOR DISPUTES

Notwithstanding anything in this Agreement to the contrary, if performance hereunder would foreseeably involve [Group] in or subject it to the effects of a boycott, strike, lockout, picketing or other labor dispute and [Group] therefore withholds, delays or cancels performance, it shall have no liability there from, provided that [Group] may not withhold, delay or cancel performance based upon a labor dispute involving its own employees. In the event of a cancellation under this Section, neither [Group] nor its members shall have any future obligation under this Agreement, and any deposits or other payments made to the Hotel by [Group] or its members to reserve rooms or other space for use, and/or for services to be provided, shall promptly be refunded to [Group] or its members. This Section shall supersede all other provisions of this Agreement and shall be construed and enforced in accordance with the laws of the State of [Group’s home state here].

In addition, it is helpful to require that the hotel notify your group of any labor disputes:

NOTIFICATION OF LABOR DISPUTE

The Hotel agrees to notify [your Group] in writing within ten (10) days after it becomes aware of any labor relations dispute involving the Hotel and its employees including, but not limited to, union picketing, the filing of an Unfair Labor Practice charge by a union, the expiration of a negotiated labor contract, an existing or impending strike or lockout or any other matter which could reasonably be construed as a labor‐management relations dispute.

Click here to download a pdf.

Largest Rally in Recent Tacoma History

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On August 10th, Local 8 members and over 200 labor activists and community leaders held one of the largest hotel worker rallies in recent Tacoma history. The exciting rally took place at Tollefson Plaza, located next to the Tacoma Courtyard Marriott. The labor community made it clear that the non-union Marriott, as well as other Tacoma hotels, need to stop paying low wages, providing unaffordable health benefits, and using the economy as an excuse to pressure workers to do more for less.

A group of community delegates entered the hotel lobby and presented a “Downtown Tacoma Hotel Workers Bill of Rights” to management, an opportunity to commit to providing their employees fair wages, affordable health insurance, and a voice on the job (click here to sign the online petition). Not surprisingly, the Hollander family, who owns the Marriott, refused to make this commitment to their workers and to the Tacoma community. On the other hand, the nearby Hotel Murano made the commitment to the “Downtown Tacoma Hotel Workers’ Bill of Rights.”

Despite receiving public subsidies to build their hotel, the Hollanders have been unwilling to provide their employees with living wage jobs pursuant to the bill of rights. After giving the Hollanders several opportunities to do the right thing, we have launched a “Do Not Patronize” campaign at the Tacoma Courtyard Marriott. We are urging Tacoma City Council to support the workers as well as their community. After all, hotel workers who earn good wages and benefits have more money to spend locally!

Check out the January 2011 Local 8 Newsletter.