Qwick Staffing Company Sued by City of San Francisco

San Francisco is suing Qwick, a staffing company in restaurants and hotels, for denying workers of minimum wages and other benefits. If you or anyone you know has relevant experiences with Qwick, call the City Attorney at (415) 355-3268 or email [email protected].

Statement from Anand Singh, President of UNITE HERE Local 2: “Hospitality workers perform incredibly difficult work and provide services that millions of Californians rely on. Qwick’s workers are entitled to the same protections, wages, and benefits as their peers employed at hotels and restaurants. We appreciate the work of the City Attorney’s Office to root out worker misclassification before this business model can take hold in the hospitality industry.”

Free one-on-one college counseling

Free one-on-one college counseling and a pathway to game-changing college support for high school juniors. Apply online at scholarmatch.org/students/sf/ before Aug. 31.

免费的1对1大学辅导和一个新规则的大学支持途径。高中11年级学生可在scholarmatch.org/students/sf/网站上申请。 申请的截止日期为8月31日。

Asesoramiento gratuito y un camino para recibir apoyo que cambiará su experiencia en la universidad. Los estudiantes del tercer año de la high school entregan sus solicitudes en línea en el scholarmatch.org/students/sf/. La fecha límite para entregar la solicitud es el31 de agosto.

 

Hotel Reps (August 2023)

Jose Lee (415) 864-8770 Ext. 705

  • 1 Hotel
  • BEI Hotel
  • Fairmont
  • Fairmont Heritage FW
  • Huntington
  • Mark Hopkins
  • Marriott Union Square
  • Stanford Court
  • Handlery

Kelsey Bowman (415) 864-8770 Ext 756

  • Clift
  • Grand Hyatt
  • St. Regis
  • Cartwright
  • Chancellor
  • Pickwick
  • Oxford Hotels – Americania, Carriage Inn, The Good Hotel
  • (Personality Hotels – Kensington Park, Union Square Hotel)

Yolanda Chen (415) 864-8770 Ext 716

  • Aloft SFO
  • Crowne Plaza Burlingame (no housekeeping)
  • Grand Hyatt SFO
  • Hyatt Regency Burlingame
  • Westin SFO (no housekeeping)
  • Grosvenor Hotel
  • Holiday Inn Express SFO
  • Lighthouse Hotel

Nicole Huang (415) 864-8770  Ext 730

  • Hilton
  • Laurel Inn

Kyle Wang (415) 864-8770  Ext 751

  • Beacon Grand
  • Hilton Financial District
  • Hyatt Place
  • Hyatt Regency
  • W Hotel
  • Whitcomb

Satchel Forrester (415) 864-8770 Ext 755

  • AC Marriott Santa Rosa
  • Courtyard Oakland
  • Doubletree Hotel & EMC
  • Hilton Garden Inn
  • Hyatt House
  • Hyatt Place Emeryville
  • Hyatt Regency Sonoma
  • Kissel
  • Marriott Oakland City Ctr
  • Moxy
  • Residence Inn Berkeley
  • Sheraton Petaluma

Jegy Sering (415) 864-8770 Ext 713

  • Clancy
  • Four Seasons
  • Hyatt SOMA
  • Kabuki
  • Enso (Buchanan)

Justin Taylor (415) 864-8770 Ext 747

  • Intercontinental
  • Marriott Marquis

Reuben Perez (415) 864-8770 Ext 709

  • Alton
  • Caza
  • (Fairmont Heritage FW)
  • Holiday Inn Express FW
  • Holiday Inn Golden Gateway
  • Marriott FW
  • Marriott Pulse
  • Riu Plaza
  • Comfort Inn
  • Courtyard Marriott FW
  • Zephyr
  • Royal Pacific Motor Inn
  • Seal Rock Inn
  • Travelodge by the Bay
  • Wharf Inn

Lasantha Ranasinha (415) 864-8770 Ext 748

  • (Clift)
  • St. Francis
  • (Handlery)

Ariel Zbeda (415) 864-8770 Ext 802

  • Omni
  • Palace
  • Parc 55
  • Four Seasons Embarcadero
  • Hampton Inn
  • Hotel G
  • Spero

Paola Chacon (415) 864-8770  Ext 736

  • Aloft Newark
  • Casino San Pablo
  • Castlewood
  • Claremont
  • Concord Plaza
  • Hilton OAK
  • Holiday Inn Walnut Creek
  • Homewood Suites

March with Local 2 in SF Pride!

March with Local 2 in the SF Pride Parade to show that our union will never let hate divide us! Meet at 9:30am on Sunday June 25 at Steuart St. between Mission and Howard. Happy Pride!

Get Reimbursed for Child & Elder Care!

Applications will open soon for the Local 2 Child & Elder Care Plan. Parents may receive financial reimbursement for childcare and youth programs. College-bound teens can receive a coach to assist with college admissions. For those with elderly or disabled relatives, the Plan offers financial reimbursement for caregiving in addition to personalized counseling and referrals to providers and services. Questions? We welcome visitors on Monday and Wednesday from 8:30am to 4:45pm. Call: 415.864.0506 or email: [email protected] anytime.

2 号工会的儿童和老人护理计划的申请即将开放。 父母可获得用于托儿服务和青少年计划的福利回 款。即将进入大学的青少年可以获得一名教练, 意在协助学生进行大学入学考试。对于家中有 年老或残障亲属的会员,本计划除了会报销护理 服务费以外,亦会提供个性化咨询和转介合适服 务提供者的选项。

Las solicitudes se abrirán pronto para el Plan de Cuidado de Niños y Ancianos del Local 2. Los padres pueden recibir un reembolso económico por el cuidado de los hijos y los programas juveniles. Los adolescentes pueden recibir ayuda de un asesor para ingresar a la universidad. Para quienes tienen familiares ancianos o discapacitados, el Plan ofrece reembolso económico por cuidados, además de asesoramiento personalizado y referencias a proveedores y servicios.

 

 

Notice: Membership Meeting on June 14

NOTICE: Scheduled membership meeting on Wednesday June 14th, 2023 will be at the Oakland Marriott City Center Hotel at 4:30 pm.

Location: 1001 Broadway, Oakland, CA 94607

 

Government Finds Evidence of 43 Labor Law Violations at Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Friday, May 4, 2023

Contact: Ted Waechter [email protected]

Investigation Finds Evidence of Forty-Three Labor Law Violations at Luxury Resort in Sonoma Wine Country

Three-Month Government Investigation Finds Evidence Sufficient to Prosecute Illegal “Union-Busting” at Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn

Sonoma, Calif. — An investigation by Region 20 of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) found evidence sufficient to prosecute dozens of labor law violations at the Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn, a luxury resort in Sonoma Wine Country where workers are organizing to join the UNITE HERE Local 2 union. The investigation found merit to Local 2’s allegations that hotel management had threatened workers for engaging in union activity, illegally interrogated employees about their union activities, illegally promised benefits to workers if they rejected the union, and more.

An attorney with Region 20 of the NLRB, the federal agency that investigates and prosecutes labor law violations, interviewed witnesses and gathered evidence from the hotel during the three-month investigation,  finding sufficient evidence to support a Complaint regarding 43 labor law violations committed by hotel managers and professional union avoidance consultants hired by the hotel. (At least three of them checked in to stay in hotel rooms and have been staying at the property on and off for around five months.) Region 20’s findings include:

  • Illegal threats of reprisals against employees for engaging in union activities.
  • Illegal discrimination against a union supporter by assigning him more job duties and denying him pay offered to other workers to attend an anti-union meeting.
  • Illegal interrogation of employees about their union activities.
  • Illegally cornering employees while they were performing job duties to persuade them not to join the union.
  • Illegal surveillance or creating the impression of surveillance.
  • Illegally encouraging employees to report coworkers’ lawful union activity to hotel management.
  • Illegally promising employment benefits if workers rejected the union.
  • Illegally impliedly promising a promotion to an employee if he refrained from union activities.
  • Implementing a hotel-wide raise, increasing banquet and valet service charges, offering a new wellness allowance and scholarship fund, and purchasing new equipment to discourage support for the Union.

“Instead of respecting our decision to unionize, the hotel has tried to intimidate, threaten, and bribe us,” said Carlos Castillo, a housekeeping houseman at the Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn for 13 years. “But we haven’t let their illegal actions stop us. We have stayed strong, and we will keep staying strong because we deserve good jobs, safe working conditions, and respect.”

To resolve and remedy Region 20’s findings, the Fairmont Sonoma has agreed to multiple concessions – including instructing employees about their rights at work and granting the Union equal time should the hotel conduct further meetings about unionization – and to refrain from further violations of the National Labor Relations Act. The Union will be watching the Employer closely to ensure compliance with the settlement.

“The hotel has crossed a line with the way it has illegally tried to stop us from joining the union,” said Aaron Brumley, a cook at the Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn for 12 years. “The first time a union-buster came up to me, I said I was too busy working to talk. Then he came back with a second union-buster, and I said the same thing. A few days later, I was working in a room off the kitchen when I looked up and saw four union-busters in the doorway, and one of them said, ‘We want to talk to you. We think you have some misunderstandings about unions.’ They were physically blocking me in, like they were trying to intimidate me. That’s not right, and I’m glad the hotel is being held accountable.”

Around 250 workers at the Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn host wealthy vacationers at the luxury resort, but workers say their jobs aren’t enough to make ends meet. Wages, health care, and working conditions at the hotel are substantially inferior to those of union workers at other Fairmont hotels in San Francisco. For example, housekeepers at the Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn make $21, compared to $28.10 at the Fairmont San Francisco.

In February, over 200 hotel workers and supporters held a vigil in the Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn to protest its anti-union campaign. Photos and video of the event are available for secure download here.

The Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn is owned by Brookfield Asset Management and operated by the French hospitality company Accor.

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UNITE HERE Local 2 is the hospitality workers’ union in the San Francisco Bay Area, representing over 15,000 workers at hotels, restaurants, tech cafeterias, sports stadiums, SFO, OAK, and more.