"Governor threatens a Hyatt boycott; Hotelier says he’s putting jobs at risk" by Katie Johnston Chase and Megan Woolhouse, Globe Staff | September 24, 2009
.... A sitting governor threatening to boycott a private company is unusual, and perhaps unprecedented, said some political specialists. Patrick’s actions have some wondering whether his show of support for the housekeepers is a bid to boost to his reelection effort, and others questioning whether government should interfere with the private sector.
Too late: Slow Saturday Special: Patrick's Invisible Approval
The Hyatt Regency Boston, the Hyatt Regency Cambridge, and the Hyatt Harborside fired 98 housekeepers on Aug. 31, replacing them with $8-an-hour employees from Hospitality Staffing Solutions. Many had been cleaning rooms at the chain’s hotels for more than 20 years and earned about $15 an hour....
“There’s no question that the story about what happened to the Hyatt workers was made public in a way that, to say the least, was unusual - splashed across the front page of the morning newspaper. While perhaps these kinds of actions were not unique to Hyatt, certainly it was a . . . disturbing portrait of corporate behavior,’’ said Paul Watanabe, a political science professor at the University of Massachusetts at Boston. “Consequently, I believe the governor as well as many others were moved to respond.’’
Almost as if it were an AGENDA-PUSHING THING -- especially after the Globe reporter told us the move was unprecedented!
Related: Where Hollywood Stays When in Massachusetts
Hyatt Housekeepers Raise Hell
Hyatt Helps Unemployed Housekeepers
It reminds me of the way the Glob handled the zoo.
David Tuerck, executive director of the Beacon Hill Institute, a think tank at Suffolk University, said he could not recall when a sitting governor had become involved in a private-sector labor dispute and was astonished by Patrick’s actions.
Tuerck said the move seemed designed to appeal to organized labor, noting that Patrick has recently struggled to improve his image among voters as the election looms. Tuerck also said he thought Patrick showed political courage earlier this year by trying to replace unionized police officers with less-expensive civilian flaggers at state road construction details, compounding his disappointment.
I want the cop there for safety reasons!
Liam Day, a spokesman for the Pioneer Institute, said Patrick’s show of sympathy could reenergize his core supporters in the labor movement, who may “have been feeling somewhat disillusioned over the last year.’’
It is NOT JUST THEM, it is ALL OF US!!!!
Union workers applauded Patrick’s efforts, even though the housekeepers were not unionized. “I think we should all heed the governor’s call to action,’’ said Janice Loux, president of Unite Here Local 26, which represents hotel workers and organized a rally last week....
No wonder unions are failing. What suckers!
Too late to get them in the union now.
