By Martha Reyes Doubletree Guest Suites Hotel employee
On Tuesday, April 23rd, I was stunned to see all these clergy members from all these different denominations of religion in one place, tolerating each other, even talking to one another. After all these years and centuries of churches fighting each other, I had a perfect picture of unity and solidarity — unfortunately it was for the wrong cause.
This was bought with dirty money. Money from workers’ sweat and hard work who paid their union dues for these clergy members and other bored activists to come and disrupt someone’s business.
They made a mess at my station with all their stickers and their instruction notes on how to organize their disruption.
If I had known their plan and what they were here for, I would have not served them. It took me double the work to clean up after them and reset my station back, and I would never take their dirty money.
I ask you: Is this their way of helping me? If it is, I do not need their help. Money talks, money buys anything these days — even the churches and its clergy. Unions, with their dirty money, bought themselves most of the churches. I am sick and tired of hearing about unions, and their stuff, if I would ever consider joining one before, I wouldn’t now just because of their harassment and their low and dirty tactics.
In my opinion, the union or the clergy (same thing) could have used the money that they spent disrupting our business for a much better cause.
They could have used their energy, their time and that money for a good cause like visiting sick people in hospitals, buying toys for abused kids, buying food for the homeless (and God knows there are plenty in this city), or they could visit shelters — things closer to what their religion is actually about.
I have not read anything in the Bible that says join this union; I am also positive that the other holy books do not say that either.
I would also like to say to these clergy, on Sundays preach about the Bible, the word of God and not about how badly the workers are treated here and bashing the hotel out loud. The sermon should be God is love, not hate the Doubletree.
Stop the hypocrisy and put the money aside, you will all have to answer to one God. I wish to see the same unity of churches and their clergy under a holier situation. (Editors Note: The Hotel Employees and Restaurant Employees local 814 has been waging a public campaign to unionize the Doubletree hotel. On April 23, many local clergy members staged a sit-in prayer session in the hotel’s restaurant to support some workers’ intention to unionize.)
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on May 8, 2002. Read the original PDF.