After several weeks of delay, the National Labor Relations Board has just made a decision on our “bargaining unit,” meaning the group of workers that our union will represent. They sided almost completely with our position! They agreed that the lobby attendants, workers at the front desk, at the Starbucks, and in the restaurant share an overwhelming community of interest. They only added that workers in banquets also share in that community of interest and should be included in our unit – an addition we are very excited about!
It was always clear that our employer was objecting to our bargaining unit as a way of drawing out this process – making it longer and more painful for everyone. They were buying time so they could try to confuse us, threaten us, fire us, and make us quit. Let’s be clear: they have done everything they can to make sure this is not a fair election. Yet we remain as confident as ever that a union is the best path forward for us. With a union, we can have a voice to make our jobs better. We can have an organization to look out for ourselves and our coworkers when we think they’ve been wronged. With a union, management no longer gets the last word.
Ultimately, though, this is our decision to make – as the workers who really operate this hotel, day-in and day-out – and we are not going to let Steve or Nicole make this decision for us. Now, on November 8th, we will have the opportunity to come together to make our voices heard!
Going forward, we’re going to have weekly meetings at the Starbucks on the corner of Delaware and Chippewa – right by work! We’re going to hold these every Tuesday from 1:30pm-2:30pm. These are open meetings, so if anyone hasn’t been to a meeting yet and wants to stop by to ask questions, please feel free!
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