CHICAGO Regional offices of the U.S. National Labor Relations Board have rejected four petitions filed by Hyatt Hotels Corp. properties in California and Indiana requesting that hotel workers be allowed to vote on whether they want labor union Unite Here to represent them.
The petitions had sought NLRB-supervised secret-ballot elections at four non-union Hyatt hotels where, for more than two years, Hyatt associates have been “subjected to intimidation and harassment by the labor union Unite Here in its attempts to organize,” according to Hyatt officials. The hotels in question are Hyatt at Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco, Hyatt Regency Santa Clara, Hyatt Regency Long Beach and Hyatt Regency Indianapolis.
“Although our request for elections has been denied, we believe the NLRB would have looked upon the matter differently if the leaders of Unite Here had agreed to a federally-supervised election, as they have nearly 300 times over the past five years,” says Robb Webb, Hyatt’s chief human resources officer. “We urge Unite Here to reconsider their decision, so that each of our associates can exercise their right to be heard by casting a ballot. While it’s unusual for an employer to request an election, the option has existed at the NLRB for more than 75 years now, and we believe it is the best way in this case to bring an end to the boycotts, pickets, home visits, and aggressive outreach that has intimidated our associates, their families and many of our guests.”