Subject:	UNJUSTIFIABLE NEGLIGENCE OF LOCAL6 NEW YORK
Date:	Sun, 09 Oct 2005 01:35:30 +0000
From:	Melissa Slovak <melissaaslovak@hotmail.com>
To:	labornet@igc.org

Brothers and Sisters,

I FOUND YOUR website, and thought you would be a great sounding board for a 
very dangerous precedent being set in the Union hotels in New York.
I have been a waitress for 16 years in 2 hotels in New York City.  My first 
job was eliminated because I was lowest in seniority, and the staff was 
being cut due to the sale of the hotel.  That was in January of 1996.
Now, once again, the hotel I work in has been purchased by the multi-billion 
dollar Blackstone Corporation.  They are in the process in building a luxury 
tier hotel chain across the country and my hotel, the RIHGA ROYAL Hotel is 
their latest acquisition. Since taking over the property, Blackstone has 
decided to concession the Food and Beverage department to a private owner.  
This private owner, a world reknown Chef, wanted all the "old" union 
employees out.
Blackstone was more than willing to comply, offering "enhanced" severance 
packages to get the employees to leave.
The employees of Food and Beverage were never privy to, or included in the 
negotiations, nor were we informed by management or the union, of our fate.  
After the negotiations were complete, we all received our "packages" and 
were asked to review and sign the documents as soon as possible.
This document was distributed in September and we had many questions 
regarding the language and terms we would be signing.  The union was, and 
still is extremely negligent in speaking with us.
So bad in fact that we had to find a private lawyer to help us with the 
specifics of the language.
Currently, there was a meeting at the hotel, we have been asigned a new 
business agent who has very little experience.
When asked if the union was going to help us with job placement, he simply 
stated that they would do what they could, but there are 3000 members out of 
work.  In other words "too bad so sad" for you.
I find this whole situation to insulting.  I as many of my coworkers have 
been union members 10+years.  We have faithfully supported our union in 
their campaign to save the Plaza hotel and ratified a 2000 dollar increase 
in union dues to support the impending strike in 2006.  We have marched and 
demonstrated for them, and stood by them when they needed our time and 
money.
Now that we need them, they are turning an elusive cold shoulder, not 
returning our phone calls, not able to meet with us, not standing up for 
their veteran membership.
I ask your help and support by contacting our union and let them know that 
the Labor community is aware of what they are allowing to happen to their 
membership and it is NOT RIGHT.
Please help us in this grassroots campaign and circulate this letter, not 
only would you be supporting a small group of union workers, but it will 
also help prevent a very dangerous precedent of privatization of union jobs.

CONTACT:
Peter Ward, President Local 6
(212)957-8000
THE NEW YORK HOTEL AND MOTEL TRADES COUNCIL
707 EIGHTH AVENUE
NEW YORK, NEW YORK  10036