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DOUBLETREE HOTEL AND UNION REACH SETTLEMENT TO END BOYCOTT AND PROVIDE FINANCIAL BENEFITS TO 24 FORMER HOTEL WORKERS; THREE FORMER EMPLOYEES TO BE OFFERED JOBS
by Norwalk Dems
Oct. 6, 2006
The owners of The Doubletree Hotel in Norwalk and the leaders of Local 217 of Unite Here -- the union of hotel and restaurant workers that represented the former employees of the hotel (then known as The Clarion Hotel) who were not offered jobs after the hotel was acquired by the current owners and re-opened as The Doubletree -- announced that they have voluntarily reached a settlement composed of four principal actions:
First, the Union has agreed to terminate its boycott of The Doubletree and has informed the organizations and individuals it had previously invited to participate in the boycott that the boycott has been lifted as part of a settlement.
Second, the Union has agreed to suspend its employee organizing activities at the Hotel for a period of one year, including leafleting, picketing, calling of a strike or other similar activities.
Third, the Hotel owners have agreed to offer jobs to three former hotel workers who had not obtained temporary or permanent employment elsewhere. The job offers to these three former employees will be made as soon as vacancies become available in the housekeeping job positions they formerly held.
Fourth, the Hotel owners have agreed to pay a monetary settlement to each of the 24 former union employees who were not hired by the Doubletree but did obtain employment elsewhere following their termination from the hotel. The amount of the payment to each of the former employees will be weighted in favor of those with the most seniority.
Former Norwalk Mayor Alex Knopp initiated the meetings between the two sides and served as the mediator during the negotiations with the assistance of the Rev. Jeffrey Ingraham of the Cavalry Baptist Church of Norwalk. Under the settlement agreement, the hotel owners are required to provide a written copy of each job offer to Knopp, who will verify compliance with the terms of the agreement.
The Hotel Group was represented by Edmond Lee, its Chief Executive Officer, and by Douglas Dreher, its President.
Local 217 was represented by Steve Mathews, its Connecticut Director, and by Debra Jordan, its Secretary and Treasurer.
"We are very pleased that we are able to settle this dispute in a way that is fair to both sides." said Edmond Lee. "We especially appreciate the considerable efforts of former Mayor Knopp and Rev. Ingraham in helping to find common ground for settlement."
"I am proud of our members for having the courage and determination to stick this out and earn a settlement that helps them take care of their families," said Steve Mathews.
"This settlement is a very positive outcome for our community, its businesses and its working families. The hotel owners and the union both deserve congratulations for responding in such a constructive way to the humanitarian needs of the former employees," said former Mayor Knopp. "It would have been easy for the new hotel owners to walk away from these settlement discussions after the union withdrew its complaint in March at the National Labor Relations Board and it would have been understandable if the union had continued with its boycott of the hotel and its organizing campaign."
"But instead, both sides accepted my invitation to meet and they reached a courageous decision involving real mutual concessions that will result in the former employees receiving either job offers or a monetary settlement to help their families in the coming year," Knopp added. "As a result of this settlement, The Doubletree owners should be viewed as socially responsible members of Norwalk's business community without the baggage of a boycott hanging over their heads and the Union has done its duty of representing the humanitarian interests of its members while preserving its opportunity to resume its lawful organizing activities under federal labor law after the passage of the one-year suspension period."
The representatives of The Hotel Group and Local 217, and the former employees receiving job offers or monetary benefits, entered into a confidentiality agreement as part of the written settlement document.
For more information, contact:
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by Norwalk Dems
Oct. 6, 2006
The owners of The Doubletree Hotel in Norwalk and the leaders of Local 217 of Unite Here -- the union of hotel and restaurant workers that represented the former employees of the hotel (then known as The Clarion Hotel) who were not offered jobs after the hotel was acquired by the current owners and re-opened as The Doubletree -- announced that they have voluntarily reached a settlement composed of four principal actions:
First, the Union has agreed to terminate its boycott of The Doubletree and has informed the organizations and individuals it had previously invited to participate in the boycott that the boycott has been lifted as part of a settlement.
Second, the Union has agreed to suspend its employee organizing activities at the Hotel for a period of one year, including leafleting, picketing, calling of a strike or other similar activities.
Third, the Hotel owners have agreed to offer jobs to three former hotel workers who had not obtained temporary or permanent employment elsewhere. The job offers to these three former employees will be made as soon as vacancies become available in the housekeeping job positions they formerly held.
Fourth, the Hotel owners have agreed to pay a monetary settlement to each of the 24 former union employees who were not hired by the Doubletree but did obtain employment elsewhere following their termination from the hotel. The amount of the payment to each of the former employees will be weighted in favor of those with the most seniority.
Former Norwalk Mayor Alex Knopp initiated the meetings between the two sides and served as the mediator during the negotiations with the assistance of the Rev. Jeffrey Ingraham of the Cavalry Baptist Church of Norwalk. Under the settlement agreement, the hotel owners are required to provide a written copy of each job offer to Knopp, who will verify compliance with the terms of the agreement.
The Hotel Group was represented by Edmond Lee, its Chief Executive Officer, and by Douglas Dreher, its President.
Local 217 was represented by Steve Mathews, its Connecticut Director, and by Debra Jordan, its Secretary and Treasurer.
"We are very pleased that we are able to settle this dispute in a way that is fair to both sides." said Edmond Lee. "We especially appreciate the considerable efforts of former Mayor Knopp and Rev. Ingraham in helping to find common ground for settlement."
"I am proud of our members for having the courage and determination to stick this out and earn a settlement that helps them take care of their families," said Steve Mathews.
"This settlement is a very positive outcome for our community, its businesses and its working families. The hotel owners and the union both deserve congratulations for responding in such a constructive way to the humanitarian needs of the former employees," said former Mayor Knopp. "It would have been easy for the new hotel owners to walk away from these settlement discussions after the union withdrew its complaint in March at the National Labor Relations Board and it would have been understandable if the union had continued with its boycott of the hotel and its organizing campaign."
"But instead, both sides accepted my invitation to meet and they reached a courageous decision involving real mutual concessions that will result in the former employees receiving either job offers or a monetary settlement to help their families in the coming year," Knopp added. "As a result of this settlement, The Doubletree owners should be viewed as socially responsible members of Norwalk's business community without the baggage of a boycott hanging over their heads and the Union has done its duty of representing the humanitarian interests of its members while preserving its opportunity to resume its lawful organizing activities under federal labor law after the passage of the one-year suspension period."
The representatives of The Hotel Group and Local 217, and the former employees receiving job offers or monetary benefits, entered into a confidentiality agreement as part of the written settlement document.
For more information, contact:
- Edmond Lee: 425-771-1788; elee@thehotelgroup.com
- Steve Mathews: 203-865-7315, ext. 231; sm217here@yahoo.com
- Alex Knopp: 203-554-7307; aknopp@sbcglobal.net
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©2008 Norwalk Democratic Town Committee · Paid for by the Norwalk Democratic Town Committee, David Murchie, Treasurer