Hotel Workers on Strike at Grand Hyatt in San Francisco, according to Unite Here Local 2

SAN FRANCISCO--(Business Wire)--
Hotel workers walked off the job this morning at the Grand Hyatt Union Square in
San Francisco, announcing a 3-day strike against the property, according to
Unite Here Local 2. The Grand Hyatt is owned and operated by Hyatt Hotels
Corporation [NYSE: H], which consummates its initial public offering today
raising more than $900 million for its principal owners, the Pritzker family.

"Hyatt`s cashing out almost a billion dollars for its owners, but at the same
time they`re pushing to make health care unaffordable for me and my family?"
remarked Aurolyn Rush, a 13-year telephone operator at the Grand Hyatt. "That is
unforgivable, and we`re not going to stand for it."

The work stoppage comes two weeks after members of Unite Here Local 2 voted by
over 92% to authorize strikes at any of 31 upscale hotel properties in San
Francisco. Workers at the Grand Hyatt will return to work on Sunday, November 8,
but have called for customers to honor an ongoing boycott at that property.
Workers at other San Francisco hotels remain on the job, though job actions
remain a possibility elsewhere.

"This is a limited strike," said Mike Casey, president of Local 2. "It`s
intended to send a clear signal to this corporation that they cannot use a
temporary downturn to permanently drive down workers` living standards."

Despite amassing record profits over the preceding five years, hotel
corporations in San Francisco and elsewhere have been using the economic
downturn as an excuse to squeeze workers for long-term concessions. During the
past two months, Local 2 has indicated an openness to reaching an exceptionally
low-cost contract settlement, totaling as little as 1.5% increase in labor
costs. Nonetheless, the industry has persisted in trying to win permanent
takeaways in the areas of affordable health coverage and retiree coverage.

Hyatt has distinguished itself for making workers pay a steep price for the
recession. In Boston, for example, Hyatt recently fired all housekeepers at its
three non-union hotels, replacing them with outsourced workers paid about half
of what the fired workers had earned. The company`s CEO, meanwhile, was paid
$6.7 million in compensation in 2008, and its chairman received a bonus of $1.4
million.

Unite Here Local 2
Riddhi Mehta, 707-695-2364
rmehta@unitehere2.org
or
Ian Lewis, 415-608-3875
ilewis@unitehere2.org

Copyright Business Wire 2009