Boston Hyatt hotels lay off longtime housekeepers (and lie to them while doing it) to OUTSOURCE.

[gauguin57]

http://www.boston.com/business/articles/2009/09/17/hous... /

When the housekeepers at the three Hyatt hotels in the Boston area were asked to train some new workers, they said they were told the trainees would be filling in during vacations.

On Aug. 31, staffers learned the full story: None of them would be making the beds and cleaning the showers any longer. All of them were losing their jobs. The trainees, it turns out, were employees of a Georgia company, Hospitality Staffing Solutions, who were replacing them that day.

The move to outsource the jobs of about 100 housekeeping employees at the Hyatt Regency Boston, Hyatt Regency Cambridge, and Hyatt Harborside at Logan International Airport is unusual in the hospitality industry, which counts on the housekeeping staff to help make sure hotel guests are comfortable.

“It’s unbelievable,’’ said Lucine Williams, 41, who has worked at the Hyatt Regency Boston for nearly 22 years and was making $15.32 an hour plus health, dental, and 401(k) benefits when she lost her job. “I don’t know how they can treat people like that.’’

[Taverner]

1. Isn't this illegal?

[gauguin57]

2. Companies can get rid of anyone for any reason anymore.

It's disgusting. The almighty dollar always trumps humanity.

[DURHAM D]

3. I don't think the title is correct.

That is not "out" sourcing - it is "in" sourcing.

[SPedigrees]

6. Unless they move their hotels to another country, they are not outsourcing.

Bum deal though, whatever they call it.

[WeDidIt]

9. You're wrong. Outdourcing does not mean going to another country.

Offshoring is moving functions to another country.

Outsourcing is moving a function normally performed by internal FTEs to a third party, regardless of location.

[WeDidIt]

8. Nope, definitely outsourcing

Outsourcing means moving functions that had once been performed by interal FTEs to an external third party.

[blm]

4. Who owns these Hyatts? Surely Pritzkers wouldn't pull a move like this these days.

I thought the new generation of Pritzkers were more pro-labor.

[FarCenter]

14. Penney Pritzker and Thomas J. Pritzker are on the Hyatt Board of Directors

That said, the owner of the hotels is not necessarily Hyatt. More typically, the hotel is owned by one or a group of investors and they have some say in the running of the hotel, especially the financial end of it. The investors pay Hyatt for the branding and operation of the hotel, but the Hyatt general manager of each hotel is sensitive to the owners' wishes as well as the Hyatt home office.

[bajamary]

15. Penny Pritzker's address

Penny Pritzker is on the board of directors of the Hyatt Corporation. I believe the Pritzker Family owns the controling private shares of this corporation.

Well folks, the public records on political contributions shows the home address of Penny Pritzker.

This is from The Huffington Post's site of political contributors.
http://fundrace.huffingtonpost.com/neighbors.php?type=n ...

She contributed the following, among many other donations:
Updated
Q3/2008
Hillary Clinton $4,600

Penny Pritzker
1875 N ORCHARD ST
Chicago IL 60614


In case you're curious for more information on Penny, here's Penny Pritzker's own website

http://www.penny-pritzker.com/index.html

[blm]

18. Penny donated to HRC then to help retire her debt - she was a Finance Chair for Obama

and bad press like this can be harmful. Whatever group of partners made this decision for these three Hyatt hotels will be reflecting on Pritzkers, too.

[Hannah Bell]

16. lol.

[wilt the stilt]

5. the famous business quote

" business is business". I recently had a similar situation as a contractor. I called to touch base with my boss and help him with a new person and I was told that we ceased doing business that moment. This is a program that I saved from oblivion and I had one month left on the work order. Their decision to let me go at that moment caused me some money.

Business is business means you are getting fucked.

[bkkyosemite]

7. The top brass of these companies need to lose big..just don't know how.

[One_Life_To_Give]

11. Organize a campaign to stay at only places paying a living wage

Probably is a market, perhaps just a niche, for travel arrangements with places/providers that pay living wages. Or stay at a small B&B where the owner does everything.

[One_Life_To_Give]

10. Replaced by $8/hr, In Boston??

I would think even $15/hr would qualify for assistance in Boston. Going to have trouble paying a $1100+ monthly rent on $8/hr and no benefits.

[exboyfil]

12. Hate to say it but I wonder how many do not have

their papers in order? The hotel gets off because the employer is not them. If INS shows up they know nothing.

[Gwendolyn]

13. It's twice now where I've done work for companies...

that have come up with ingenious ways to screw emps. One scam involves informing an entire department that they will be shut down and outsourced, but offering them the opportunity to work with the outsourcing company at a reduced salary. That way, the company is assured a seamless transition, and get to retain the years of experience, high level of competence. The emps either find themselves on the street or continue to do the same job for the same company (through the third party) at a huge wage loss.

[Deja Q]

17. And yet some, who are employees of another companies, are in full support of that

The "emps", as you call them, probably should summarily quit. We all know they won't.