Doubletree management re-instated housekeeper Elba Hernandez April 26 after suspending her indefinitely a week before while the hotel investigated her for distributing fliers complaining of unfair workplace practices.
Hernandez’s suspension sparked an uprising among union activists and clergy members. On April 23, clergy and community activists staged a sit-in and a prayer session at the Doubletree’s restaurant.
Union activists now accuse the hotel’s management of unfairly picking on Hernandez for her pro-union activities.
“Management tries to intimidate us, threaten us and even follows me into the restroom,” Hernandez said.
The union has launched a public campaign to organize the hotel’s workers. They have held rallies at a recent Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School Board meeting and at Santa Monica High School.
The school district leases the land to the Doubletree, located just west of Santa Monica High School. Union organizers have spurred the school district into re-evaluating its lease with the hotel.
They hope the school district will be able to re-negotiate its lease with the hotel, and in the process help settle the long-standing labor dispute. The city has helped unions become established in hotels leased on publicly-owned land.
Currently, the Pacific Shore Hotel, 1819 Ocean Ave., and The Miramar are the only beachfront resorts in Santa Monica with a unionized workforce.
Union officials said they would like to organize all the large hotels in Santa Monica, but they would only confirm active efforts at Loews and at the Doubletree.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on May 14, 2002. Read the original PDF.