JCUA's Tom Walsh
JCUA congratulates UNITE HERE on a victorious NLRB ruling.
Tom Walsh, director of advocacy and public policy at JCUA, spoke at a press conference in support of the Blackstone Hotel workers that were unlawfully fired for attempting to unionize. Earlier this week the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) ordered the Blackstone Hotel to offer the fired employees their jobs back with back pay and benefits. UNITE HERE local 1, Chicago’s hospitality workers union, estimates that lost pay and benefits come to a total near $250,000. The press conference took place outside of the Blackstone Hotel on July 8, 2010.
Tom Walsh’s remarks:
We are here today to tell the courageous workers who were so mistreated by the Blackstone Hotel that you are not alone. Your union has your back, JCUA and allies throughout Chicago have your back.
So any time you are pressured by the management or ownership of this hotel to NOT speak up for your rights, or to NOT exercise your right to organize, just tell them that they’re wrong. You and thousands of people across Chicago know it, and will fight for these rights.
Every worker in America who comes to work — ready to work — should be treated with dignity, not fired.
This hotel and its owners received over $40 million dollars in public money to renovate and reopen this hotel. How can a company that has received $40 million dollars of OUR money go about firing and harassing honest, hard-working employees. That is not right. That is unacceptable.
Blackstone Hotel workers, and hotel workers throughout Chicago: We have your backs. Thank you for making Chicago such a tremendous town to visit.
JCUA staff and leaders have been working with UNITE HERE on the Blackstone Hotel campaign for the past year.
Read more about this story:
UNITE HERE / CBS2 / Crain’s Chicago Business / Chicago Sun-Times
[...] is committed to this vision of ending oppression. Through our work with Chicago street vendors and workers’ rights organizing we have worked to improve people’s lives. By working to abolish the death penalty we are fighting [...]