Sep 26, 2009 10:26 am US/Eastern
Hyatt Says Fired Boston Workers Offered New Jobs
BOSTON (WBZ) ―
Hyatt Hotel Corp. says the nearly 100 housekeepers laid off from its three Boston hotels will be offered new full-time jobs.
The announcement Friday came after Gov. Deval Patrick urged state employees to stop doing business with the hotels unless the workers were rehired. Boston taxi drivers also threatened to boycott the hotels.
Hyatt said the housekeepers would be offered jobs with a Boston affiliate of United Service Companies, with health coverage and the same pay they made with Hyatt.
The offer did not satisfy the local hotel workers union, which called it a "smokescreen." Local 26 said the workers should be returned to the jobs they held for years.
"These women have made it clear that they want to be returned to the jobs they have held for years, and Hyatt's PR scheme does not diminish their determination" said Janice Loux, president of Unite Here, Local 26, in a statement.
Governor Patrick's office released a statement late Friday afternoon saying that the governor has spoken with local Hyatt management and worker representatives, and is reviewing the proposal.
"In the end he (Governor Patrick) wants to ensure that this is a proposal the workers can depend on and feel is fair. Having been treated so unfairly, they are understandably hesitant to trust any proposal short of restoring them their jobs."
The fired workers claimed they were force to train their lower-paid replacements.
Hyatt said it hoped the proposal would renew the community's faith in the company.
"Contrary to the way our actions have been characterized by many, we did attempt to implement this staffing change in a respectful manner and many of the assertions that have been made are false," said Stamm.
"We do, however, recognize and regret that we did not handle all parts of this transition in a way that reflects our organization's values," he said.
(© 2010 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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