Since being fired by the hotel\'s new owners nearly two months ago, the 19 workers and their supporters have picketed the hotel. Bundled up, they\'ve marched in wind chills that were well below zero.

"This cold weather has been probably the biggest challenge for us," said Dave Blanchard, financial secretary-treasurer and business manager of UNITE HERE Local 21, the union representing the workers.

Four days before Christmas, the new owners of the hotel fired the veteran employees simply because they were union members, Blanchard said. The union has filed several charges with the National Labor Relations Board, which is currently conducting a full investigation.

The efforts to support the workers aren\'t stopping with picketing and the NLRB complaint. On Thursday, Local 21 members joined with members of the Working America organization to doorknock households in Rochester. They asked people to sign postcards to hotel owner Mike Bhakta protesting the firings.

The workers also are building support for a resolution they expect to come before the Rochester City Council on Feb. 21. It reaffirms the city\'s commitment to creating and maintaining liveable wage jobs in the community.

Members of UNITE HERE Local 21 enjoy liveable wages, health insurance, a retirement plan and grievance process for resolving workplace disputes – benefits that many non-union workers do not have.

Already, some of the workers hired to replace the fired employees have quit, Blanchard noted, fed up with the treatment they\'re receiving.

Community support has grown as more people have become aware of the workers\' situation, he said. "People feel that firing workers four days before Christmas is about the lowest thing you can do."

For more information
For more on the Holiday Inn Express workers and to contribute to a support fund, visit the Local 21 website, www.local21.com