San Francisco, CA – The board of directors of the San Francisco Convention and Visitors Bureau voted June 16 to revoke the membership of a union representing hotel workers that had been contacting meeting planners and warning them they could face labor trouble in The City.
Local 2 of Unite Here has been locked in a battle over a new contract for several thousand employees at 31 San Francisco hotels. The standoff has resulted in brief strikes against the Hyatt chain and frequent noisy picket lines outside various hotels.
The CVB board last year censured the union over its campaign, and this week decided enough was enough and revoked the membership of Unite Here. “We have no illusions that this is going to change their behavior, but on behalf of the entire hospitality industry, we had to let them know that we think they are out of place,” Pat Gallagher, immediate past chairman of the CVB told the San Francisco Business Times.
Hotel workers represented by Local 2 have been working without a contract since August 2009. A union official told the Business Times that while suspending their boycott campaign might help the tourism industry, it would likely not do anything to break the contract stalemate.
Local 2 has offered to assist meeting planners find hotels that are not on the list of hotels involved in the contract talks.
Reach Joe D’Alessandro , president & CEO, San Francisco CVB, at (415) 227-2698 or jdalessandro@sanfrancisco.travel
