View video of the demonstration.
UNITE HERE Local 17 has been in contract negotiations with the hotel since November. Management wants to shift more health care costs onto employees, among other concessions, said Local 17 President Nancy Goldman.
“None of the other hotels have asked for any concessions,” she noted. The Saint Paul, which has received the AAA’s prestigious Four Diamond rating, charges among the highest room rates in the Twin Cities and has been successful despite the recession, she said.
“They did not tell us they financially couldn’t afford it or the hotel is struggling,” Goldman said. “It’s about the 1% and the 99% and the culture of anti-union and anti-worker.”
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| Desiree King, a 27-year employee of the Saint Paul Hotel, addressed the rally. She said workers feel that management is not recognizing their contributions to the hotel\'s success. |
Longtime employees said they feel betrayed by the management’s stance in negotiations. Desiree King, a server at the Saint Paul Grill, the hotel’s popular restaurant, has 27 years of service. Several other employees have been on the job even longer, she said.
Workers have shared the burden by taking a 1% wage increase since 2007. A rise in their health care costs would be difficult for all staff, but particularly low-paid workers like room cleaners.
“If they offer a meager [wage] increase and expect people to pay for health care, that’s going backwards,” King said.
Local 17 has asked the hotel to agree to the same agreement accepted by other unionized hotels in the Twin Cities, Goldman said.
Video
Produced by Randy Croce, Labor Education Service
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View video of the demonstration.
UNITE HERE Local 17 has been in contract negotiations with the hotel since November. Management wants to shift more health care costs onto employees, among other concessions, said Local 17 President Nancy Goldman.
“None of the other hotels have asked for any concessions,” she noted. The Saint Paul, which has received the AAA’s prestigious Four Diamond rating, charges among the highest room rates in the Twin Cities and has been successful despite the recession, she said.
“They did not tell us they financially couldn’t afford it or the hotel is struggling,” Goldman said. “It’s about the 1% and the 99% and the culture of anti-union and anti-worker.”
|
| Desiree King, a 27-year employee of the Saint Paul Hotel, addressed the rally. She said workers feel that management is not recognizing their contributions to the hotel\’s success. |
Longtime employees said they feel betrayed by the management’s stance in negotiations. Desiree King, a server at the Saint Paul Grill, the hotel’s popular restaurant, has 27 years of service. Several other employees have been on the job even longer, she said.
Workers have shared the burden by taking a 1% wage increase since 2007. A rise in their health care costs would be difficult for all staff, but particularly low-paid workers like room cleaners.
“If they offer a meager [wage] increase and expect people to pay for health care, that’s going backwards,” King said.
Local 17 has asked the hotel to agree to the same agreement accepted by other unionized hotels in the Twin Cities, Goldman said.
Produced by Randy Croce, Labor Education Service