I keep asking you what, when, why, where so that I can forward it to the head of the Gray Panthers labor committee, and you just talk gobblydgook. We have been picketing for the Honda strike in Berkeley. Avis on 3/5/06 5:47 AM, Jim DeMaegt at jdemaegt@xxxxxxxxxxxxx wrote: > How many Pacifica "activists" will be on the picket line during the > coming hotel strikes? > Well at least Juan Gonzalez has (or had) some connection with > Pacifica. > > > Jim D. > "A Day without labor Picketing is like a Day without Sunshine." > -----------------------------. > http://www.nydailynews.com/news/local/story/396076p-335746c.html > New York Daily News > March 3, 2006 > > Hilton target of strike plan > > By Juan Gonzalez > > The country's largest hotel union has targeted the > Hilton Hotels Corp. for what could be the first-ever > nationwide hotel strike this summer. > > "We've decided to isolate Hilton because they are the > most recalcitrant and belligerent employer in the > industry," said Peter Ward, president of the New York > Hotel Trades Council. > > A major labor battle is not good news for this city's > hotel owners, who enjoyed sky-high room prices and > record occupancy rates in 2005. > > And it's certainly not good news for Hilton, which > currently owns the two biggest hotels in town, the New > York Hilton and the Waldorf-Astoria, and manages four > others, the Times Square and Millenium Hiltons, the > Embassy Suites and the Doubletree Guest Suites Times > Square. > > Labor agreements with the city's 25,000 hotel workers > expire July 1. But bargaining starts later this month, > and Ward has already made it clear to the hotel owners > association that he will insist on two separate sets of > talks - one with Hilton and one with everybody else. > > And New York is not the only place the Hilton chain is > facing the isolation treatment. > > Other locals of UNITE-HERE, the national hotel workers > union, are pursuing the same strategy in San Francisco, > Los Angeles, Honolulu, Boston, Chicago and Washington. > > For the first time in its history, the national union > has timed its contracts so they all expire within a few > months of each other, starting with Los Angeles in > April. > > That means the union will be in a position to exert > maximum pressure on the entire industry - with multiple > walkouts, if necessary, leaders say - by early summer. > > New York is the key to the strategy because it has the > biggest number of union members and the best-paid ones > in the industry. > > Ward, meanwhile, has made meticulous preparations for > what is shaping up to be mother of all hotel battles. > > In 2004, he persuaded his membership to overwhelmingly > approve a special $10-per-week dues checkoff to create > a giant strike fund. The fund has amassed $20 million > and is expected to top $25 million by July. > > The union also has recruited major political figures > like 2004 Democratic vice presidential candidate and > former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards to speak at > hotel worker rallies around the country. > > Yesterday, in the campaign's war room at union > headquarters in midtown, a map of Manhattan titled > "2006 Strike" indicated just how far along the planning > is. > > The map showed all city hotels divided into color-coded > geographic zones with specific assignments for union > organizers. Next Thursday, more than 3,000 of the > union's "action team" leaders will assemble for a pre- > bargaining update. > > Given how well the industry is doing right now, Ward > sounded optimistic about reaching a deal with the main > owners' association. > > But Hilton is a different matter. > > "They constantly violate our contract, so we're not > going to allow them to be part of any multi-employer > negotiations," Ward said. > > He pointed to some $2.6 million in back pay the union > won in arbitration awards from Hilton hotels for more > than 600 employees during the past five years because > of contract violations. In one case, 45 banquet workers > at the New York Hilton were awarded a total $42,000 by > arbitrators because the hotel had failed to pay them > their tips. > > A Hilton representative in New York yesterday referred > all questions about the union contract to Kathy > Shepard, the company's vice president for > communications at its corporate headquarters in Los > Angeles. > > Shepard did not return several phone calls seeking > comment. > > New Pacifica Working Group http://www.egroups.com/group/NewPacifica 'Save Our Stations!' Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NewPacifica/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: NewPacifica-unsubscribe@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/