UNITE HERE launches app to help socially conscious travelers find union hotels

Patronizing union hotels supports family sustaining jobs, guarantees top notch service

NEW YORK, Nov. 14, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The hospitality union UNITE HERE is launching a Union Hotel Guide App to make it easier for travelers to find union hotels. The Union Hotel Guide App lists approved union hotels and hotels where UNITE HERE members are on strike, boycotting, or there is a risk of dispute, guiding travelers to choose socially responsible hotels.

In union hotels workers earn decent wages, have safe working conditions and access to affordable healthcare. In many non-union hotels workers earn minimum wage with few or no benefits, have little job security and unsafe working conditions. For the thousands of people who work in the hospitality industry, having a union hotel job means the different between middle class jobs that sustain families and jobs that keep people in poverty.

"Working in a union hotel means working one job instead of two jobs, so I can spend more time with my kids," said Rosemary Johnson-Hoover, Allerton Hotel server.

The Union Hotel Guide App helps travelers avoid hotels that do not treat their workers fairly. Hyatt workers have launched a global boycott to end the company's abuse of housekeepers. The global boycott impacts most of the hundreds of Hyatt properties nationwide. The Union Hotel Guide App makes clear which hotels are under boycott or at risk of dispute, including hundreds of Hyatt properties across North America.

"We called for a boycott because conditions at my hotel are bad and getting worse," said Denise Edwards, Hyatt Century Plaza accounting department. "Now, customers have a new tool at their fingertips to find out which Hyatt Hotels nationwide to avoid."

Strikes or boycotts could impact a guest's quality of hotel service. Staying at a union hotel free of dispute guarantees that customers are going to receive top notch service and a better night's sleep. When workers are treated fairly they are able to deliver excellent service that customers deserve.

The Union Hotel Guide App lists hotels in the United States and Canada where workers are represented by UNITE HERE, which represents more than 250,000 workers in the hospitality industry in North America.

Download the UNITE HERE Union Hotel Guide App to find union friendly hotels.

UNITE HERE represents more than 250,000 workers throughout the U.S. and Canada who work in the hospitality, gaming, food service, manufacturing, textile, laundry, and airport industries.

SOURCE UNITE HERE