Hotel Workers Rising: March for Justice

Saturday, February 27, 2010
5:30pm - 7:00pm
Meet at the Hilton Crystal City - March to the Sheraton Crystal City!
2399 Jefferson Davis Highway

Stand for justice with workers at the Hilton Crystal City and Sheraton Crystal City!

Hotel Workers Rising Northern Virginia - March for Justice! Join Us on the One Year Anniversary of Struggle at the Sheraton Crystal City.

We will meet at the Hilton Crystal City, the first hotel to win the union in Northern Virginia, where workers are now fighting for a fair contract. For over a year, workers at the Hilton Crystal City have been leading a boycott of their own hotel. The owners of the hotel, Colombia Sussex Corporation, unilaterally implemented their contract in May, 2009 -- increasing workloads and cutting benefits. Workers continue to stand strong.

We will then march to the HEI Sheraton Crystal City, where workers are struggling for a fair and democratic process to decide on unionization without intimidation. HEI Hotels and Resorts, owner of the Sheraton Crystal City, is one of the fastest growing hotel management companies in the US. While it owns a hotel, HEI employs a range of techniques to bring costs down. Employees have experienced reduced hours and layoffs, shortages in cleaning supplies and basic materials, and increased
workloads – especially in housekeeping.

In October and November, the Office General Counsel of the NLRB issued unfair labor practice complaints against the HEI Sheraton Crystal City. The complaints allege that HEI engaged in violations of federal labor, including allegedly: interrogating employees about union activity, creating the impression of surveillance by questioning employees about their presence at pro-union events, threatening employees with reprisals because of union activity, threatening employees with losing their employment if they continued to participate in union activity, coercing employees by confiscating union materials, coercing employees by implying that they were disloyal to their employer because they engaged in union activity and informing employees that it would be futile for them to select a union as their bargaining representative by implying they would not get a pay raise. The complaints also contend that HEI allegedly suspended and then fired union leader Ferdi Lazo because of his role in the union and allegedly disciplined a front desk worker in retaliation for his union activity. HEI has denied these charges and will have to defend themselves in a hearing on April 6, 2010.