Housekeepers Lead March with "Hope Quilt" against Hyatt Abuses

Hundreds of Housekeepers Lead March in Solidarity with Boston 100 Hyatt Workers; Raise Awareness of Workplace Abuses

Sixty Foot “Hope Quilt” on its 2nd Leg on 7-City National Tour

WHAT:
Nearly 350 hotel workers and housekeepers will be joined by prominent women leaders, students, community and clergy leaders on an all-day Bay Area tour from Santa Clara Hyatt via the Hyatt Regency San Francisco to Grand Hyatt San Francisco, carrying the “Hope Quilt” in its 2nd leg in the 7-city “Hope for Housekeepers” National Tour.

WHO:
Fiona Ma, California State Assembly Member
And over 300 hotel housekeepers, religious leaders, students and community members

WHEN & WHERE:
Wednesday, October 7, 2009, 6:00AM-6:00PM
Sunrise Action: 6AM – 7AM: Bay Area Quilt Tour Launch at Santa Clara Hyatt, 5101 Great American Pky.
Afternoon Delegation: 12PM – 1PM: “Hope for Housekeepers” Quilt delegation at San Francisco’s Hyatt Regency, 5 Embarcadero Center
Sunset Action: 4PM – 6PM: “Hope for Housekeepers” Rally and March at San Francisco’s Grand Hyatt, 345 Stockton Street

Press Availability: 6AM at Santa Clara Hyatt and 4PM at the Grand Hyatt, San Francisco.

WHY:
“Hope for Housekeepers” is a national movement of women, founded by Hyatt housekeepers across the country to stop the abuse of women in the hotel industry and bring a message of hope to fellow Hyatt housekeepers and the thousands of women working as housekeepers across the globe.

Perhaps the most public example of Hyatt’s abuse is discarding women like the Boston Hyatt 100 housekeepers, who were fired after training their replacements from an outsourcing agency. “This movement represents the national outcry against Hyatt’s abuse; whether it be in Boston, Chicago or San Francisco, we will stand together,” said Antonia Cortez, a housekeeper at the Grand Hyatt for 34 years.

Hyatt housekeepers are organizing a seven-city tour, starting in Long Beach and ending in Chicago, featuring the symbol of their movement -- the Hope Quilt. This quilt stitches together the stories of Hyatt housekeepers and the pain they endure everyday just to provide for their families. Each patch symbolizes a story of pain, injury, and even death or miscarriage brought upon by the heavy burden of their workloads.

Hyatt housekeepers often clean up to 30 hotel rooms a day in just eight hours, and many forgo health insurance for their families because of the high cost. Hyatt is also slashing jobs, like the Boston Hyatt 100, while in 2008 it spent $4 million annually on private aircraft expenses.

UNITE HERE! Local 2 is the union of hotel and food service workers in San Francisco and San Mateo Counties. It represents about 12,000 workers in the hospitality industry.