Allocation Meeting Update

/in , /by

Core Committee Leaders met on Monday July 27, 2020 and adopted the Executive Board’s recommendation to allocate money for pension and wages from the $1.45 per hour increase that we are receiving this year per the class A San Francisco hotel’s contract.

The money will be distributed as follows: 46 cents goes to our pension and the rest goes to our wages, which will mean a $1.10 per hour raise for non-tipped workers and a 55 cent per hour raise for tipped workers.

With this allocation we’re sending a message to the industry that the pension will be a priority in our next negotiations, and that we expect management to step up and cover our medical benefits beyond October.

Gate Gourmet: Use your free money for the workers!

/in , /by

We demand that Gate Gourmet use the government CARES Act money to recall and pay laid off workers immediately. While the government is awarding the company over millions dollars, hundreds of us Gate Gourmet workers will not survive and may be financially ruined! The company’s intention to recall only 35% of the workforce through September is appalling especially as their main competitor recall much more! Please do the right thing by recalling us back to work and use that CARES Act money to honor our loyalty and save our families.

CLICK HERE: Tell Gate Gourmet to use the government CARES Act money to recall and pay laid off workers immediately!

San Francisco Sets Highest Standard for Hotel Cleaning and Safety

/in /by

After Disastrous Reopenings in Las Vegas and Florida, UNITE HERE Local 2 Says San Francisco is National Leader on Requiring Hotels to Prioritize Cleaning Over Profits

SAN FRANCISCO – UNITE HERE Local 2, the hotel workers’ union, today praised the Board of Supervisors’ leadership in setting the country’s strongest cleaning and safety standards for hotel reopening. The Healthy Buildings Ordinance – which requires cleaning and safety measures recommended by the World Health Organization, including daily room cleaning – passed unanimously. The union had said that San Francisco should not let hotels reopen without strong COVID-19 safety standards, warning that while shortcuts could pad hotel profits, they would endanger workers’ safety and San Francisco’s reputation as a safe place to visit.

“By setting the country’s strongest standards for hotel reopening, San Francisco has positioned itself as the top destination for travelers concerned with cleaning and safety after COVID-19,” said Anand Singh, President of UNITE HERE Local 2. “It’s no secret that hotel companies could save millions by avoiding the World Health Organization’s guidelines, and when hotels were allowed to set their own reopening standards in Las Vegas and Florida, they actually reduced cleaning services, public health guidance went unenforced, and case rates soared. By requiring hotels to prioritize cleaning over profit, San Francisco is taking leadership to protect hotel workers and rebuild travelers’ trust that our city is the cleanest, safest place to visit.”

The Board of Supervisors’ Healthy Buildings Ordinance will adopt recommendations from the World Health Organization and others for deeper, more frequent cleaning in tourist hotels – including daily room cleaning – and forbid retaliation against workers who speak out about unsafe conditions. This emergency ordinance will go into effect on July 17 and be in effect for 60 days; passage is expected of an ordinance to make these cleaning and safety standards permanent. The Healthy Buildings Ordinance also sets safety standards for office buildings and is supported by SEIU Local 87, the janitors’ union.

“As housekeepers, we know that the right way to reopen the hotel is to clean more, not less,” said Joanne Liu, a housekeeper at Marriott’s St. Regis hotel and a member of UNITE HERE Local 2 who has been out of work since mid-March. “My family has no savings in the bank, so of course I want to go back to work, but I want to go back to work in a safe way. After COVID-19, I wouldn’t feel safe to let a room go days without disinfection before I clean it. My coworkers and I fought for strong cleaning and safety standards so we can protect our health and provide for our families.”

UNITE HERE Local 2 represents 14,000 hospitality workers in San Francisco and San Mateo counties, including nearly 9,000 hotel workers. Ninety-five percent of members are unemployed due to COVID-19.

###

UNITE HERE Local 2 is the hospitality workers’ union and represents 14,000 members working in the hotel, food service, and airport industries in San Francisco and San Mateo counties, including 9,000 hotel workers. Learn more on Twitter @UniteHereLocal2 or at unitehere2.org.

Media Contact: Ted Waechter / twaechter@unitehere2.org

Fight for the HEROES Act!

/in , /by

The HEROES Act passed the Democratic-controlled House in early May, but Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell threatens to vote the bill down.

The HEROES Act among other things:

  • Expands Medicare and Medicaid so workers who loose medical benefits can receive care at no cost.
  • Extends unemployment benefits, including the $600 per week and grants a second round of $1200 stimulus checks.
  • Protects our economy with a safe reopening
  • Bans evictions.

Let’s send a strong united message with emails in support of the HEROES Act. Click here to add your name and send your Senators an email about the HEROES Act.

We Are Essential, Not Expendable

/in , /by
Our President Anand Singh send the Hotel Industry a set of proposals that should guide the Hotel’s reopening.
The Union’s proposals are all about bringing workers back to work in a safe environment.
We’re demanding the highest levels of health and safety including:
  • Training and staffing
  • PPE and cleaning equipment
  • Thorough disinfecting prior to reopening for all areas of the hotels
  • Social distancing for workers and guests
  • Daily room cleaning
  • Strong workload protections
  • Health benefits
  • COVID 19 testing
The industry should understand that we will not endorse a reopening that ignores our demands for job security, health and safety.
We won’t be another Las Vegas, NV where the bosses reopened the strip as COVID 19 cases rise.
Frontline workers of local 226 say “hotel and casino guests are gambling with our lives” by allowing guests on property without wearing masks. Only about 10% of guests are wearing them. Read more here from Huffpost.

Union Trustees Extend Medical Benefits

/in , /by

Benefits Extended through Oct. 31, 2020

The Union Trustees of our Medical Benefit Trust Fund proposed, and a clear majority of all Trustees voted to extend Medical Benefits for all participants of our Local 2 San Francisco Trust Fund through October 31st, 2020.

Local 2’s San Mateo County Trust Fund is in the process of taking the same action: extending Medical Benefit coverage through October 31st, 2020.

The Union is able to extend benefits because the Fund is continuing to pay for benefits (to Kaiser, Blue Shield, etc.) out of RESERVES (extra money) that our Union has built up over the years.

Since our Union contract settlement of 2006, each year we have had a “bucket of money” to spend on Wages, Pension contributions, and Medical Benefits. The Officers of the Union, in consultation with the Union Committee leadership, have made very prudent decisions which have built the strength of our Medical Benefit Fund. Each year the Union Committee has met to decide how much money would go into Medical Benefits, how much to Pension, and how much of a Wage increase we would get.

It was because of money built up in reserves that the Union Trustees were able to propose and implement Dental Benefit Improvements (from $2000 to $4000 per year coverage) earlier this year.

The wisdom of those decisions is apparent now. Because our Union did not just grab the biggest raises possible, but continued to built the Pension, and continued to build our Medical Benefit reserves, our Union Trust Fund is able to pay for our Medical Benefits during this time of crisis.

Enjoy the security of your Medical Benefits! You paid for them out of wage increases our Union chose to forgo in favor of building our Medical Benefit Reserves.

Child/Eldercare Applications

/in , /by

Due to COVID-19 all child/eldercare applications must be submitted by mail. To have priority status eldercare mail-in applications must be submitted by mail and postmarked the week of June 29-July 2. Childcare applications must be submitted and postmarked the week of July 6-10. The forms must be submitted in English. Otherwise have them translated and verified by a notary public. For more information or to get the forms visit our website at http://www.local2benefits.org/.

Questions? Call: (415) 864-0506 or

Email: childelderplan@local2benefits.org

Mayor London Breed Plan to Reopen San Francisco

/in , /by
Mayor Breed addressed the public Thursday May 28th with the plan to reopen San Francisco. Read more from NBC Bay Area here. The plan provides estimated reopening dates that may be adjusted based on stopping the spread of the virus. The estimated reopening dates are as follows for the following services and businesses:
  • June 1st: Child care centers
  • June 15th: Sporting events and entertainment centers
  • Mid- August (target date): Schools (with modifications)
  • To be determined- Hotels and lodging for leisure and tourism
Mayor Breed reiterates that these are estimated dates based on stopping the spread of COVID-19 and stresses the importance of three public health guidelines:
  • 1) Wearing face coverings
  • 2) Hand washing
  • 3) Social distancing
In all other aspects the shelter in place order is still in effect. Breed urges workers to telecommute to work and stay home when possible. Click here to see Mayor Breed’s full speech.

Saturday, June 6: March for #BlackLivesMatter

/in , /by

Tomorrow, UNITE HERE Local 2 will march with other unions for #BlackLivesMatter. If it’s safe for you, please join us at Candlestick Park in SF at 10am. Wear your UNITE HERE and Local 2 gear, and don’t forget a mask. Change happens when we fight together. ✊🏿✊🏾✊🏽

What: March for #BlackLivesMatter with Local 2 and our union family from across the Bay Area

When: Saturday, June 6, 10am-12pm

Where: Candlestick Park in San Francisco. Meet at corner of Harney Way & Hunters Point Expressway

UNITE HERE Statement on the Murder of George Floyd

/in , /by

This is not normal. Except it is.

Last week, George Floyd was murdered by an officer of the Minneapolis Police Department, while three additional officers stood by and watched. Yet again, a Black man was targeted and suffocated to death by the people who should, ostensibly, “protect and serve.” UNITE HERE condemns this action and demands swift and complete justice for Mr. Floyd and his family.

For months we have grappled with “the new normal” of living in the midst of COVID-19. We’ve struggled with job loss, with wearing masks, with the need to socially distance. What we need to grapple with, and change, is the historic normal. The commodification and the brutalization of Black people. From Emmett to Trayvon to Sandra to Tamir to Eric to Philando to Botham to Breonna to George Floyd and too many others—it has become “normal” to see our Black Brothers and Sisters being killed, and we cannot and will not stand idly by.

Our heartfelt condolences go out to the family and friends of Mr. Floyd. Black Lives Matter, George Floyd’s life matters. Justice must be served, and our country must change, because this “normal” should not be normal.