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san diego
Protesters outraged at Clinton’s refusal to cancel speech
Battle over Hyatt continues
Published Thursday, 19-Feb-2009 in issue 1104
Up to 200 gay rights and union leaders gathered Feb. 15 outside the Manchester Grand Hyatt to protest a speech by former President Bill Clinton and to demand that the hotel sever ties with its owner Doug Manchester and improve working conditions.
Led by the a coalition between the labor union UNITE HERE and GLBT activists, the protesters expressed outrage over Manchester’s $125,000 donation to the Yes on 8 Campaign and drew attention to the fact that Clinton had crossed a picket line to speak at the hotel.
“This boycott offers a very effective strategy for fighting back against these rich people who used their money against us,” Cleve Jones, a long-time GLBT activist, said.
“We [also] want to send a really loud message to President Clinton that he cannot cross a picket line without consequences,” added Carlos Marquez, co-chair of Pride at Work San Diego, which lobbies for full equality for GLBT workers in their workplaces and unions.
“President Clinton is crossing a picket line that represents hundreds of workers in that hotel that desperately need a union,” Marquez continued.
Another civil rights organization, Courage Campaign, also present at the rally, collected 30,000 signatures asking Clinton to abandon his plans to speak at the Hyatt. However, Clinton refused to cancel the engagement with the International Franchise Association.
One protester noted the dilemma of protesting against the former president, who campaigned against Proposition 8.
“It’s very difficult to protest against someone who has a good track record on these issues,” she said.
The protesters, who dubbed the former president “Dollar Bill Clinton” for having crossed the hotel’s picket line, remained respectful of him despite their anger.
“I believe he stood for change,” City Councilmember Todd Gloria said. “I respect the peace and prosperity he’s brought us.”
However, he added, “We want him to tell Mr. Manchester that he is on the wrong side of history. We all lose when we discriminate against some faction in our community.”
Protesters also demanded better working conditions for hotel staff.
“Doug Manchester has made his money off exploiting these workers,” Bridgette Browning, president of UNITE HERE Local 30 said.
“Can you imagine cleaning 64 beds every day? These workers are exploited, and it’s wrong.”
Organizers seemed pleased with the turnout.
“There’s been a movement renewal,” one participant said. “It’s exciting that labor and the LGBT movement are united on this.”
Most protesters believe motivation to demonstrate is higher than before the election.
“The awareness of this event is all over the country. I think the impact is going to be disproportionate to our numbers today,” Jones said.
“An injury to one is an injury to all.”
Since Proposition 8 passed, UNITE HERE has protested weekly and plans to continue doing so.
“We’ll stop protesting when gays and lesbians have marriage equality and the workers have justice,” Daniel Rottenstreich, political director of UNITE HERE said.
According to UNITE HERE, the Courage Campaign, and Jones, the Hyatt has increased its employees’ workload from 17 to 30 rooms per shift. “Workers at the Manchester Hyatt still do not have job security. The work load remains onerous,” Rottenstreich said.
“The hotel has insisted since the boycott that everything is great, why would they change anything?”
Injury rates for hotel workers are 40 percent higher than average in the service industry, according to the Department of Labor.
Since the boycotts began last summer, numerous groups have cancelled business with the Manchester Grand Hyatt, including: The Legal Writing Institute, The Society of American Law Teacher, The California Nurses Association, The San Diego Association of Realtors, and the International Fund of Employee Benefits.
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