The Crown Plaza Boycott
I attended the protest yesterday to support the boycott of the Crown Plaza, who has received public monies (COMIDA and others) in the sum of $5 million, only to pay their workers substandard wages. The housekeepers at the hotel average $7.30/hr, which gives them a yearly income falling short of the federal poverty line. Most have to rely on the government for food stamps and health-care. From R News today:
To join a union or to not join a union – that’s a question a local community group says is not allowed at a Rochester hotel. The Clergy and Laity United for Economic Justice group (CLUE) protested outside the Crowne Plaza Hotel Saturday afternoon.
They say the hotel management has refused to agree to standards that would allow its employees to democratically decide whether they want a union.
“We’re here to promote what’s good for the employees and all we want is a just and fair process to allow them to make their own decisions that’s accorded to them by law,” said Roy Hedman, Rochester CLUE.
The group is calling for the community to boycott the hotel.
The upstate contingent of UNITE HERE has created a public subsidies report for the Rochester Crowne Plaza which is very interesting reading, but in summary:
- A $3 million dollar Urban Development Action Grant Loan
- In 2003, an infusion of over $1.2 million in federal loan money was arranged by the City and almost $700,000 of it went to paying off delinquencies from the UDAG loan.
- $1 million in real estate tax breaks
- In June of 1997, COMIDA signed a Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILOT) agreement with New Horizon (hotel’s current owners). The PILOT saved New Horizon $975,000 in taxes which were slated to go to the County of Monroe, City of Rochester, and the Rochester City School District.
From UNITE HERE’s executive summary:
In short, the owners of the Crowne Plaza have profited from the City’s generosity, but have repaid that generosity with poverty level jobs requiring further reliance upon state services.
(Update photo-thank you CC, you know who you are.)
Great post -
Terrific picture.
The D&C article here shows off a lot of wingnuts including one person who wrote
“These frankly stupid and illogical actions on the part of the self-proclaimed clergy have resulted in economic harm to our community. If you see these scumbags picketing, please throw garbage at them.”
http://www.democratandchronicle.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080302/NEWS01/803020383/1002/NEWS#storychat
I guess the D&C story chat is a free for all.
It would seem to me that this person has very little experience with reality. In this universe, those of us who live in the community are paying twice for this hotel to operate. First we pay taxes to subsidize COMIDA and the other public monies which they have been able to obtain. Second, we pay taxes to subsidize food stamps and Medicaid.
Fantastic point!
If you see these scumbags picketing, please throw garbage at them.â€ÂÂ
Where are the “coarse culture” police???
As always, great post!
The hotel owners claim that they are being targeted unfairly. They have said that they pay the same as other area hotels with similar working conditions.
Is there any truth to this claim?
Why is the Crowne Plaza different?
The upstate contingent of UNITE HERE has created a public subsidies report for the Rochester Crowne Plaza which is very interesting reading, but in summary:
A $3 million dollar Urban Development Action Grant Loan
In 2003, an infusion of over $1.2 million in federal loan money was arranged by the City and almost $700,000 of it went to paying off delinquencies from the UDAG loan.
$1 million in real estate tax breaks
In June of 1997, COMIDA signed a Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILOT) agreement with New Horizon (hotel’s current owners). The PILOT saved New Horizon $975,000 in taxes which were slated to go to the County of Monroe, City of Rochester, and the Rochester City School District.
Thanks Bigboy, you’re right, and that is just part of the Crowne Plaza issue. The other part is that the CP management has refused to sign on to the set of Community Standards, created by CLUE, that would provide employees with a fair process to decide whether of not they want to form a union. They will only work through the NLRB, which is corrupt and antiquated (and congress itself recognizes as no longer functioning)
So, are people targeting CP because they are in violatiuon of some COMIDA agreement or because of their labor relationship?
In all fairness, why target a hotel saying it’s about labor relations when it’s in fact a COMIDA issue?
And why won’t the employees work through NLRB?
How is it corrupt?
I appreciate what you’re saying but it doesn’t seem to answer why CP is being targeted.
What hotels in the downtown area use union labor? What hotels have signed on to CLUE’s standards?
We should know so if someone asks we can refer them to a union hotel.
Honestly, the explanation hasn’t clarified why CP is being targeted.
Please enlighten us.
Here is an article from the AFL-CIO weblog which talks about Bush’s NLRB. I am not aware of any other union hotels, but the issue is allowing the workers to organize with certain principles recognized, such as:
Freedom from retaliation and intimidation
Freedom from coercion
Equal access to information
Open and reasonable debate
Truthfulness
Timely response
Freedom from outside harassment
Currently, these principles are not being upheld and if you read about the NLRB, you may understand why.The issue is that the Crowne continues to use the NLRB process, as their negotiating tool. It is not a fair process. That is why CP is being boycotted
OK, so COMIDA has nothing to do with targeting CP. It’s an ancillary issue. The COMIDA system is certainly flawed. However, since there are many businesess who we can say have taken unfair advantage of the system that doesn’t explain the choice of CP as a target.
(That’s actually an argument about why we shouldn’t have invaded Iraq. There are many bad dictators, why target Sadam?)
What happened when the employees went through the NLRB process? Did they get thew required number of employees to form a union? Was there a vote? Do we know what happened? Did CP violate any laws?
I appreciate the AFL-CIO blog, but is there any independent analysis you can refer to that addresses the failure of the process for the CP employees.
Are there any hotels in Rochester that have refused to participate in the NLRB process or who have violated the law? They might be a better target.
If people felt that they just needed somewhere to start because hotel employees in general are mistreated, I’m OK with that. I believe employees are best served by collective bargaining and union represenatation. But then those involved in this cause should be up front about it. They can say, “Hotels in Rochester mistreat their employees, and there has been no relief through the legal process. So we’re making an example out of Crowne Plaza!”
Otherwise, just reading this and the newspaper articles that have appeared so far, it seems as if there may be some hidden agenda as to why CP was chosen as the target.
Is there?
PS. Someone mentioned that “congress” recognizes that the NLRB process doesn’t work. Was there a joint congessional committee report, or a simple resolution? Or is this the opinion of some congressmembers? Honestly, I mean we can find some congressmembers opposed to, or in support of anything.
Very good point-I’ll see what I can find out.
Here’s something to start with.
Employees from the Crown/Plaza came forward to CLUE about their working conditions, in need of a Union. None of the hotels in Rochester are unionize, but CLUE and Unite Here has to start somewhere, hoping that if they can get Crown/Plaza to give-in, the other hotels will too…or feel the wrath of protesters/picketers.