Today, workers at Seattle’s Hyatt at Olive 8, a non-union hotel, bravely stepped forward and joined thousands of Hyatt workers nationwide to organize for a better future for themselves, their families, and their community.

King County Councilmembers Larry Gossett and Joe McDermott, Seattle City Councilmember Nick Licata, Port Commissioner Rob Holland, and twenty community allies stood with the workers asking the Hyatt at Olive 8 for a fair process to organize. Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn also sent a powerful letter of support.

Hyatt has singled itself out as the worst employer in the national hotel industry. Hyatt has abused its workers, replacing longtime employees with minimum wage temporary workers and imposing dangerous workloads on those who remain. Hyatt housekeepers have high rates of injury.

Hyatt workers suffer from a glaring lack of respect. On a hot summer day in downtown Chicago, with temperatures climbing above 100 degrees, Hyatt turned heat lamps on striking workers and only stopped when reports started surfacing in the press. At the Hyatt Regency in Santa Clara, California, two housekeepers, Martha and Lorena Reyes, were humiliated on the job.

Workers at the Hyatt at Olive 8 in Seattle are joining the movement of workers in Indianapolis, San Antonio, Scottsdale, Santa Clara, San Francisco and Long Beach calling on Hyatt to accept a fair process to enable them to choose whether or not to join a union without employer intimidation. Hyatt has refused.

Please join us in standing with them as they take the bold step of speaking up publicly to end the mistreatment they experience at work. Stay tuned for ways you can help by liking “Hyatt Hurts” on Facebook. Also, check out www.hyatthurts.org for more information.