News

Cesar Chavez Day Action Stars
Monterey County Herald
April 7, 2010
Name Dropper
Monterey County Herald

Unite Here Local 483, the union representing 1,300 hospitality workers in the Monterey Bay area, recognized 15 of its members as Cesar Chavez Day Action Stars last week for their actions in support of workers in places outside of their own hotel.

Honored were Bertrand Deprez (Lodge at Pebble Beach), Noe Hinojosa (La Playa Hotel), James Hood (Highlands Inn), Antonia Ihnot (La Playa Hotel), Alberto Navarro (Hyatt Regency), Jose Nicasio (Hyatt Regency), Carlos Pat (Lodge at Pebble Beach), Jose Perez (Asilomar), Maria Eva Rangel (Hilton), Devora Rodriguez (Carmel Mission Inn), Oscar Rosa (Bay Park Hotel), Maria Santos (Hilton), Chuck Smith (Asilomar), Ricardo Sotelo (Hyatt Regency) and Jing Wright (Hyatt Regency).


CSUMB workers vote to join Unite Here
Monterey County Herald
April 3, 2010
Business Briefs
Monterey County Herald

SEASIDE

Cafeteria workers at CSUMB voted 40-1 on Thursday to join Unite Here Local 483, a hospitality workers union.

The workers' employer, Maryland-based Sodexho USA, has recognized the union and has agreed to contract bargaining, said Leonard O'Neill, chief officer of the local.

The workers had petitioned to leave International Service Workers United. Unite Here Local 483 represents 1,300 Monterey Bay area hospitality workers.


Hotel workers targeted
Monterey County Herald
November 28, 2009
By CESAR LARA
Guest commentary
Monterey County Herald

The economic downturn continues to plague the Monterey Bay area and communities all across our country. Business owners and workers alike face challenging circumstances. One hopes that in difficult times, owners and workers would face these challenges by working more closely together. Unfortunately -- all across the country -- many hotel owners are using the economic downturn as an excuse to take advantage of their workers.

When the Hong Kong owners decided to close the hotel at the Quail Lodge in Carmel Valley, their official statement was that they "have no plans to sell or reopen the hotel." But no one believes that. Ever since the rumors of the hotel closure began over the summer, the explanation that followed was that the owners want to get rid of the union. The company, of course, has denied this -- wink-wink, nudge-nudge.

Quail Lodge is not the only place where hotel workers are facing difficult times. In September, the Hilton Garden Inn Monterey was taken over by RockBridge Capital of Columbus, Ohio. The new owners fired 12 workers, some of whom had worked at the Hilton for 20 years. This hotel has been resold four times in the last 20 years. This is the first time that new owners have fired workers en masse. There was no union contract to protect the workers.

The Hilton owner also eliminated the workers' pension plan and made their new health insurance so expensive that many workers and their families have gone without coverage.


Monterey Hotel Workers Demand Their Jobs Back
KION CBS 46 News
November 18, 2009
KION CBS 46 Video

MONTEREY, Calif. - At least 100 union hotel workers marched and held a vigil in Monterey Wednesday to raise awareness about recent layoffs. They said big hotel chains were laying-off long-time workers, replacing them with cheaper labor and using the economy as an excuse.


Quail Lodge Closes Today: Workers want to be rehired if Carmel hotel reopens
The Californian (Salinas)
November 16, 2009
Maria Ines Zamudio
The Californian

CARMEL -- Salinas resident Gerardo Soria Ruiz tried to hold back the tears as he thought about how he is going to support his family after finishing his last day working as a gardener at Quail Lodge hotel.

The father of three along with hundreds of workers -- at least 40 of them from Salinas -- are losing their jobs today as the hotel closes its doors.

But Soria and the hotel workers weren't ready to leave without putting up a fight.

On Sunday evening, more than 200 people held a vigil outside the hotel to demand to the owners of the hotel to rehire workers by seniority should the hotel reopen.


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