Hotel
Workers Rally in Union Square
San Francisco Examiner - December 22, 2004
By J.K. Dineen
Hundreds
of hotel workers filled Union Square on Tuesday to draw attention
to the fact that they still don't have a contract.
The
rally, organized by religious leaders, came a month after
the owners at 14 top city hotels agreed to a 60-day "cooling
off period" during which they promised not to lock out
hotel workers and the union vowed not to strike. The agreement
followed a six-week lockout that kept some 4,300 workers from
their jobs.
Local
2 President Mike Casey told the workers, "We're going
to have a great contract." He called the cooling off
period a victory for workers.
"We
turned the employers' weapon -- the lockout -- against them.
We won the support of The City," said Casey.
But
with a month remaining before the cooling off period is over,
hotel owners say the union needs to step up to the plate.
Matt Adams, vice president of the San Francisco Multi-Employer
Group, said the owners have made several concessions, including
an offer to keep the $10-a-month health care coverage.
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