The Ryan Thomas Collection

Doug Manchester is not the only thing causing the Hyatt brand trouble these days. As the strike and boycott of Doug Manchester’s Manchester Hyatt continues in San Diego, San Francisco’s Grand Hyatt in Union Square is experiencing the same troubling issue. Grand Hyatt employees belonging to Unite Here! Local 2 are on strike in pursuit of fair wages and benefits from the Hyatt Corporation. Striking workers could be found outside the San Francisco Grand Hyatt Saturday calling for a boycott of this particular Hyatt and those around country.

According to printed materials being passed out by picketers, the Hyatt Corporation had profits in the range of $1.3 billion within the last five years, with the CEO being paid $6.7 million last year. Recognizing assumed bias in these numbers, the strong cash stockpile and low debt the company holds, in conjunction with the strong IPO last week, shows that despite rough economic times, the Hyatt Hotel Corporation is fairing alright compared to others in the lodging industry. However, Hyatt has reported losses in the last three quarters of 2009. This may weaken striking workers ability to push for “a fair deal” this year, when the uncertain economic future still looms. Local 2 says, “They don’t need to take away affordable family healthcare from working people in order to ensure the ‘health’ of the company.”

A more troubling aspect of the relationship between labor and the Hyatt Corporation can be seen at a Hyatt property in Boston and what is being called the “HYATT 100.” It has been reported that 98 housekeepers at the Boston property were fired and replaced by contracted workers supplied by Hospitality Staffing Solutions. A large portion of these 98 employees had been working for Hyatt for numerous years, earning $15 an hour. The replacement contractors are working for $8 an hour as “temporary” workers. Hyatt Hotels is not the first company to commit such an act, and it certainly will not be the last. However, one must ask whether he or she will support such acts with their travel dollars, because everyone will end up footing the bill through tax dollars.

Ellen Ruppel Shell, a professor at Boston University and author of “Cheap: The High Cost of Discount Culture” discusses the “HYATT 100″ in her piece, “The Race to the Bottom.” She explains that cutting costs through labor wages and benefits eventually hit taxpayers through social programs and services these workers will need to begin relying on to fill the gap. Although it is not necessarily the duty of the Hyatt Hotels Corporation to ensure social stability through their business practices, something must be done to protect dedicated workers from hungry executives at the top. The bust on Wall Street in 2008 seems to have shed some light on this idea of overpaid and irresponsible executive rule in the business world and it continues to worm its way through all industries, not just banking and insurance. As the country debates health care reform, it should be added that these 98 fired employees and their 98 contracted replacements will probably all have to seek government health care assistance.

In the end, not everyone can be an executive. Not everyone wants to be an executive. A hard day’s work cleaning hotel rooms, washing dishes or carrying luggage must not be discounted. The dignity and respect for a hard working employee is something that should be supported by corporations and consumers alike. Some of us start our careers working at the front desks of hotels and move on to a cubicle. Some of us, whether it be due to life circumstance or ability, continue a work path cleaning hotel rooms or serving at a restaurant. These employees deserve a fair deal as it is their sweat that makes a trip to a Hyatt Hotel a luxurious stay.

Support workers’ rights to a fair deal from the Hyatt Hotel Corporation. Boycott Hyatt Hotels. Doug Manchester, owner of the San Diegos’ Grand Manchester Hyatt, supported inequality for gay and lesbians in 2008 through his $125,000 donation supporting Prop 8. A Boston Hyatt unfairly removed almost 100 employees to replace them with labor at almost 50% the cost. How much more is the Hyatt going to do to hurt the lives of Americans?

For more information about Unite Here! go to www.UniteHere.org.

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No longer a resident of San Diego, I am not as in tune with the happenings of its residents. Thankfully, the San Diego Union Tribune article about Doug Manchester’s divorce was sent to me and I felt it needed to be shared with all of those who are supporting the boycott of his Manchester Hyatt, in downtown San Diego, due to his $125,000 donation in support of Prop 8 and his poor treatment of workers. I take no pleasure in the fact that a partnership of marriage is broken, due to reported “irreconcilable difference,” but California’s divorce laws may mean he has access to only 50% of his assets when final paperwork is configured.

Doug Manchester’s soon-to-be ex-wife, Elizabeth Manchester, has told the courts that Doug has been hiding money in secret accounts for months and even stealing her personal mail during her vacation. He’s playing dirty and it seems to be catching up with him. Elizabeth told courts that $9.3 million of their $56.9 million in accounts has been transferred. Additionally, she accuses Doug of cashing their joint tax return of $8.2 million and stashing that way. Superior Court Family Law Judge Lisa Foster has granted Elizabeth residence within their La Jolla estate and forced Doug to give $100,000 to pay bills.

As the makings of his divorce occur in court, Doug Manchester is working on redeveloping the Navy Broadway complex with a new hotel property. With a poor economy and a continuing boycott working against him, a divorce settlement will add to his list of trials to overcome in his new hotel venture. Financing his Navy Broadway complex may become quite the challenge as banks tighten up their wallets and force Mr. Manchester to have more solid assets, which he may no longer have when all is said in done with the divorce proceedings.

Well, Dougy… it looks like you’re losing. Karma is working against you on all fronts. It doesn’t pay to H8! My guess is that he won’t be donating any money to pass Prop 1 in Maine.

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UNITE HERE announced in a press release today that The San Diego Business Journal reports the boycott against San Diego’s Manchester Hyatt is costing the hotel millions of dollars.

Gay activists and labor unions began the boycott call against the hotel this past summer; reacting to the $125,000 donation made in support of Prop 8 by the hotel’s owner, Doug Manchester. The cost of the boycott to the hotel has been placed at $2.4 million to date.

UNITE HERE, Local 30 has staged weekly protests outside the Manchester Hyatt, to which the Marketing Manager for the Manchester Hyatt, Kelly Commerford, confirmed has cost the hotel $2.4 million in cancelled bookings and meetings. Doug Manchester’s high profile donation against same sex marriage and the ensuing boycott was one of the first of the Prop 8 battle.

Organizers of the boycott are asking Hyatt to condemn Manchester’s donation, whilst local San Diego competitors, including Evan’s Hotels, have used the opportunity to display their pro-equality stance, having taken out full page ads in local newspapers. Many boycott organizers and supporters are angry that Hyatt utilizes a “gay friendly” publicity and marketing strategy, yet does not put their full backing behind the LGBT community. Essentially, Hyatt is biting the hand that feeds it.

As the Hyatt’s second largest property, the success of the boycott against San Diego’s Manchester Hyatt carries with it power beyond dollars. It is an explicit display that being kind to the face of the LGBT community and working against their fundamental rights is counterproductive. Cleve Jones, GLBT organizer with UNITE HERE, stated, “While we demand change in state capitols and in Washington on marriage equality, we cannot tolerate injustice and inaction in our backyard.  Hyatt still earns millions from its relationship with Manchester.  That is hypocritical and wrong.”

The continued efforts of UNITE HERE on the ground at the Manchester Hyatt, as well as the responsible actions being taken by organizations and individuals, alike, cancelling and refusing to book at the hotel is proving to be a great success. As the economy continues to nose dive and travel dollars drop, removing a hefty source of income from this San Diego hotel will continue to be a powerful display against those who support injustice. BOYCOTT SAN DIEGO’S MANCHESTER HYATT.

San Diego Gay Friendly Hotel: www.EvansHotels.com

(Source: Press release from Daniel Rottenstreich, Political Director of UNITE HERE, www.unitehere.org.)

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Quietly sitting in my apartment, I began to hear a chant from my window coming from a couple blocks away. Unable to make out the chant, I ventured out and found a protest outside KFC. Protesters, with painted faces calling for a boycott, filled the corner surrounding the local KFC. I spoke to one of the protesters and was told that major suppliers of chicken to KFC are torturing animals in a quest to mass produce chicken products for Colonel Sanders. The less than comfortable settings for animals on factory farms is nothing new. California Prop 2 attempts to set higher standards for farms in the state to help promote healthier production than those that KFC’s suppliers are accused of maintaining. Prop 2 focuses more on egg laying hens, than chicken meat farms. However, a step for California in this direction of healthier food production is the right step for food production and a reduction in animal cruelty.

According to the Kentucky Fried Cruelty movement, these farms feed chickens drugs that force them to grow so fast their increased weight cannot be supported by their own legs, forcing many legs to break. Careless workers often break the wings of chickens whilst throwing them into new cages, with some workers being caught “throwing them around like footballs.” Additional research has found that many chickens are still alive when thrown into boiling hot water to remove feathers.

Now, PETA is the promoter of the KFC boycott, and sometimes this group is rather intense in their efforts. Additionally, it is easy to believe this organization over exaggerates their claims. Such claims include that KFC’s suppliers actually cut off chicken beaks at birth so they do not peck. A result is that their natural instincts are not allowed to take shape. PETA has asked KFC to make efforts and changes to stop these actions, but nothing has been done. Based on literature, the call is not to stop eating meat (though the PETA page heavily promotes going vegetarian), it is simply asking a large chain of restaurants to use its power of purchase to change supplier ways.

Below is a video of the protest outside my local KFC and you may see it soon at yours. Additionally, a video, with Pamela Anderson, describes PETA’s findings on KFC’s suppliers. It is true that other suppliers of other animal products may participate and provide products to other chains or even supermarkets that you or I shop at. KFC is the one in the PETA hot seat at the moment. I don’t usually choose KFC as my choice fast food, but now there is no choice.

(www.kentuckyfriedcruelty.com)

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Doug Manchester, owner of two San Diego area hotels including the Manchester Hyatt (downtown San Diego) and the Grand del Mar Resort, has donated $125,000 to fight for the passing of Proposition 8. Proposition 8 is the California prop to amend the California State Constitution to state marriage as a union between a man and a women. If this prop passes, it will effectively reverse the State Supreme Court decision earlier this year in favor of marriage equality in the state.

The fight for equality leading up to November’s vote is huge and such a large sum of money donated to fight for inequality must be countered with a stronger boycott of Mr. Manchester’s businesses. The list of donors to this horrible cause continues to grow and the best way to stop such large donations is to continue to boycott.

A call for a boycott of the Manchester Hyatt and the Grand del Mar Resort has been made. Spread the word to your family and friends to avoid these properties. www.boycottmanchesterhotels.com

If you need alternate places to stay or visit in the San Diego area, visit one of the Evan’s Hotels. The Evan’s Hotel family has faithfully supported and continues to support equality both amongst its employees and within the local San Diego community. www.evanshotels.com

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