Pat Barcas
Staff writer
Thursday, Jan. 17, 2013
     Clayco, Inc., a major national development and construction firm, has announced plans to move its headquarters to Chicago. The move will lead to the creation of hundreds of new jobs.
Clayco finances, develops, designs and builds large, complex projects across the nation and is seeking a growing global presence. The 28-year-old company has annual revenues of more than $820 million. Subsidiaries include a full-service architecture and design firm, Forum Studio, and Concrete Strategies Inc.
The company currently has about 1,000 employees total, with 280 employees in the Chicago office and the field. Clayco expects to nearly double that Chicago number in the next couple of years by adding new architects, designers and project managers, expanding its concrete and infrastructure business in Illinois, and continuing growth through acquisition. Click here, if you wish to know how long does planning permission take and the different types of house extension planning ideas.
The new headquarters will be located in over 30,000 square feet on the thirteenth and twenty-seventh floors of the 35 E. Wacker Building, also known as the Jewelers Building, in the heart of Chicago’s loop. The chairman and CEO will be in the Chicago office, along with principals from each business unit and Forum Studio. The Atlanta Concrete Contractors is the one you can rely on to get started with construction.
The company has relocated all of its Oakbrook Terrace employees downtown but plans to keep its St. Louis office intact where key projects continue. Accounting and IT will remain in the St. Louis office and no layoffs will occur as part of this move. Sell Alaska Land for Cash can be particularly beneficial given the state’s unique market dynamics, providing a faster route to completion.
“Clayco is embarking on an exciting period in our company’s history. With a record backlog of projects, and increasing travel around the country and the globe, we see Chicago as an integral part of our expansion strategy as we add talent and build Clayco into the nation’s leading full-service real estate development, architecture, engineering and construction firm,” said Clayco CEO Bob Clark.
Clayco is known for its integrated technology systems that bring together the many teams involved in any complex building project. The company leads the building industry in its use of Building Information Modeling (BIM) in all of its projects, generating and sharing digital representations of all physical and functional characteristics of a project from concept through capstone.
Emanuel said the city looks to bring more high tech companies to Chicago.
“Clayco is exactly the sort of company we are looking to attract to Chicago,” said Emanuel. “I am committed to bringing new and technologically advanced businesses to Chicago, especially those that want to grow and expand their businesses, and Clayco is exactly this sort of firm. I look forward to working with them as they make Chicago their new home.”
Clayco clients include commercial, institutional and industrial projects, including corporate giants like Dow Chemical Company, Amazon, Caterpillar, Proctor and Gamble, 3M, and Chevron along with government buildings, manufacturing spaces, healthcare and learning environments, among others.

Pat Barcas’ e-mail address is pat@foxvalleylabornews.com.

Fox Valley Labor News staff
Thursday, Jan. 17, 2013
     Another piece of the Illinois Tollway’s 15-year, $12 billion capital program has fallen into place in the form of more than $100 million in contracts awarded to rebuild the Jane Addams tollway. And with it comes up to 11,500 permanent jobs.
     The Illinois Tollway Board of Directors approved Jan. 10 five new construction contracts totaling $124.5 million for work on the Jane Addams Memorial Tollway (I-90) rebuilding and widening project.
     The project is scheduled for 2013-16 and is part of the Tollway’s 15-year capital program.
     “We are excited to be able to break ground this year on this $2.2 billion project that will transform the Jane Addams into a 21st century, state-of-the-art corridor linking Rockford to O’Hare International Airport,” said Illinois Tollway Executive Director Kristi Lafleur. “In addition to saving drivers $440 million annually in reduced congestion and delays, this project is expected to create as many as 11,500 permanent jobs within the Chicago region.”
     When complete, I-90 will consist of eight lanes from the Kennedy Expressway to Randall Road and six lanes from Randall Road to I-39. The road will also be built to accommodate new transit options and park-and ride facilities and host the first “green” interchange on the Illinois Tollway system.
     “The Jane Addams Memorial Tollway connects two of Illinois’ largest metropolitan areas, and this project will improve the lives of the millions of motorists who use it every year,” said Gov. Pat Quinn. “This infrastructure investment will modernize one of our most important interstates, put thousands of people to work and lay the foundation for economic growth for decades to come.”
     The Tollway has budgeted $415.2 million for this project in 2013. Including the Jan. 10 action by the Tollway Board, more than $377.6 million in contracts have been approved to date for the improvements on I-90, with 29 contracts awarded to construction and engineering firms.
     In addition, the five new I-90 construction contract awards include 27 subcontractors who are certified as disadvantaged, minority- and women-owned business enterprises with participation commitments ranging from 18 percent to nearly 21 percent per contract. Of the $124.5 million in awarded contracts, $24 million, or more than 19 percent, is committed to these firms.

Pat Barcas’ e-mail address is pat@foxvalleylabornews.com.

By Pat Barcas
Staff Writer
Thursday, Jan. 17, 2013
     It was expected, but state workers still don’t appreciate the appeal that Gov. Pat Quinn has filed over a Cook County judge’s ruling that the state must pay wage increases owed to state employees.
     “Yet again Governor Quinn has shown his disrespect for state employees and disregard for their union contract,” AFSCME Council 31 Executive Director Henry Bayer said. “We repeat our call for the governor to drop his wasteful appeal and pay workers the wages they have earned.”
     Quinn filed the appeal in the final hours of the final day on which his administration could appeal a judge’s decision to pay negotiated wage increases, according to AFSCME.
     In early December, Cook County Circuit Court Judge Richard Billick ordered the Quinn Administration to pay back wages owed to state employees since July 2011. The judge found that Quinn owes the wage increases pursuant to the union contract and must pay them in full now or at 7 percent interest in the future.
     Quinn said he didn’t pay the raises initially in 2011 because the state Legislature hadn’t sent him the payroll money. He originally canceled the raises for state workers in 14 agencies, then said there was enough money for raises in eight agencies, but no state workers have received their 2 percent raise.
     The appeal needlessly prolongs the already costly and time-consuming legal wrangling over Quinn’s failure to pay negotiated wage increases to some 30,000 employees in direct violation of union contracts.
     The circuit court ruling echoed an independent arbitrator’s award, issued fall 2011, that determined Quinn had violated union contracts and must pay the wages — an award the governor sued to vacate.
     By choosing to appeal instead of honoring the judge’s decision, Governor Quinn will subject employees to further lengthy delays in receiving the wages they are owed.
     Affected employees are those who work for the Illinois Departments of Corrections, Human Services, Juvenile Justice, Natural Resources and Public Health as well as the Human Rights Commission.

Pat Barcas’ e-mail address is pat@foxvalleylabornews.com.

Pat Barcas photo
Illinois AFL-CIO President Michael Carrigan speaks in the rotunda in Springfield Jan. 3. He said his organization will not bow to anti-union, unconstitutional legislation in Illinois, and unions deserve the right to their pensions that they paid into throughout the years.

By Pat Barcas
Staff Writer
Thursday, Jan. 10, 2013
     SPRINGFIELD — The long and complicated road to pension reform in Illinois hit a stop sign this week as Governor Pat Quinn’s plan failed to even be voted on Jan. 8 in Illinois’ House of Representatives. As of press time, no further action had been taken, with a deadline of noon Wednesday, Jan. 9.
     Quinn tried to rally a vote early in the day and expounded on the need for a vote in a press conference Tuesday.
     “Pension reform has confounded Illinois legislatures and governors for 70 years. There have been 12 governors, 13 speakers of the house and 12 presidents of the senate that have grappled with this issue, and we have continued to grapple with this issue. We’re working night and day on this issue,” said Quinn.
     He said that each day of inaction regarding the $96 billion state pension obligation costs the state $17 million.
     “That’s over $100 million a week that we are seeing our pension liability go up. If the General Assembly doesn’t act, our economy suffers,” he said.
     Quinn’s support came in the form of a bill, SB1673 Amendment 10, which was passed by the House Personnel and Pensions Committee, but failed to be voted on Jan. 8.
     According to the Illinois Federation of Teachers, the bill creates an unelected, eight-member “Pension Review Commission” charged with drafting pension-cutting recommendations. The commission would be required to report their findings to the General Assembly by April 30, 2013. The group’s recommendations would become law unless rejected by the House and Senate.
     The CTU has outlined what they call a “slew of problems with the bill,” including unconstitutionality in the form of a unilateral decrease in active member and retiree benefits, an increase in retirement age, cost shifts for schools, and increases in member contributions.
     AFSCME says the proposal would also change the way the annual cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) is calculated, drastically reducing its value over time. A bipartisan group of state legislators has also unveiled a pension reform plan that the We Are One Illinois coalition found has “significant problems” but represents a real attempt to move the conversation forward. The details of that plan are still being analyzed.
     Teachers, laborers, and other public workers totaling 3,000 convened at the capital Jan. 3 and 4 to protest potential anti-union legislation, including pension-cutting House Bill 1447, and pension-cutting Senate Bill 1673.
     The next General Assembly was scheduled to be sworn in Jan 9. They will convene later this week, with more talks to continue.

Pat Barcas’ e-mail address is pat@foxvalleylabornews.com.

By Pat Barcas
Staff Writer
Thursday, Jan. 10, 2013
     The state’s largest local union has weighed in on some important legislation other than pension reform — the CTU supports a statewide ban on assault weapons.
“Far too many of our children are living in fear in their communities, and that is not a stable environment for success,” said CTU President Karen Lewis. “Their daily goals should be achievement in the classroom and daring to dream a new world, but more often than not, the goal now is simply to survive.”
Legislation to limit assault style weapons in Illinois stalled Jan. 6 after the bill’s sponsors admitted there weren’t enough votes to pass it in the lame duck session.
The CTU claims that the proliferation of assault weapons are a main part of the problem ravaging cities and towns nationwide, but solutions offered by some pro-gun advocates are not helpful. Allowing more guns into  classrooms and communities will not if address the root causes of violence and likely would exacerbate it. You should buy bulk ammo online to run these guns, in need. You should know why your gun needs the right holster and why it is necessary to find the perfect fit learn this here now.
The union says gun control hits home, as there were more than 2,400 shootings and 500 homicides in Chicago in 2012, with many of the victims being school age children. It has often been mentioned that it is statistically safer to be a U.S. solider in Afghanistan than a Chicago resident, and this is especially true in neighborhoods that face the brunt of gun violence — violence that stems from gang warfare and rampant drug trade, both social ills compounded by cycles of debilitating poverty.
Chicago Public Schools (CPS) students must cope with the trauma, dysfunction and distress caused by this violence with little to no assistance. It is not a coincidence that many schools in the most violent neighborhoods lack wrap-around services that can help students deal with the overwhelming violence and poverty in their communities.
The CTU said it recognizes that the growing income gap, unemployment and poverty must be addressed in order to provide much-needed social services and maintain a safe, stable and democratic society.
“Public school educators are extremely concerned about the high rate of gun deaths among our young people,” Lewis said. “As we all work to end the wars being waged on our streets we have to make sure that other policies do not continue to put our students in harm’s way.”
Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel gathered elected officials, community leaders and residents Jan. 3 at St. Sabina Church on Chicago’s south side to continue calling for stronger gun regulations after the Public Health Committee of the Illinois Senate passed restrictions on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines last week. The tikka t3x accessories is where people are able to avail rifle accessories these days.
“In order to protect our children, our families and our communities, we need common-sense laws that provide the residents of our cities with the safety they deserve,” said Emanuel. “I commend the members of the Public Health Committee of the Illinois Senate for approving gun-control legislation that restricts high-capacity magazines and assault weapons designed for battlefields and not America’s streets.”

Pat Barcas’ e-mail address is pat@foxvalleylabornews.com.

Photo courtesy of Illinois Tollway
Workers reconstruct the ramp carrying traffic from the Tri-State Tollway to the Jane Addams Memorial Tollway. Now completed, the project was made possible by the Move Illinois: The Illinois Tollway Driving the Future capital program and is a significant milestone for the Illinois Tollway.

Fox Valley Labor News staff
Thursday, Jan. 3, 2013
     The Illinois Tollway is highlighting its foremost accomplishments for 2012, including significant milestones achieved in the first year of the 15-year, $12 billion capital program, Move Illinois: The Illinois Tollway Driving the Future.
In 2012, the Illinois Tollway launched Move Illinois, the largest capital program in the agency’s history, and invested in projects to repair and rebuild roadways, bridges and interchanges and other capital investments across its 286-mile system. Move Illinois will provide customers with a fully rebuilt, state-of-the-art system and critical new regional projects that will improve mobility, relieve congestion, reduce pollution, create as many as 120,000 jobs and link economies across the Midwest.
“The Illinois Tollway set the wheels in motion on our most ambitious capital program ever, making progress toward preserving our existing system and preparing for new construction projects to begin in 2013,” said Illinois Tollway Executive Director Kristi Lafleur. “We look forward to building upon our successes to deliver even greater benefits to our customers moving forward.”
The Tollway commission said the organization is committed to putting customers first and delivering benefits for Illinois’ residents in the most effective and efficient way. The agency’s goals include promoting the regional economy, fostering environmental responsibility and sustainability, increasing collaboration with regional transportation and planning agencies, furthering transparency and accountability and enhancing customer service.
“Looking back on the Illinois Tollway’s accomplishments in 2012, we are pleased to have reached several significant milestones, and we have more to do,” said Illinois Tollway Chair Paula Wolff. “This year, we set a solid foundation for taking on the challenges of the coming construction season and making sure that everything we do demonstrates that the Illinois Tollway is providing good value for its customers.”
In 2012, the Illinois Tollway worked to contribute to the regional economy:
— The Illinois Tollway Board approved more than $628 million in construction and engineering contracts in 2012, awarding 79 contracts to 66 unique construction and engineering firms. In addition, the Tollway’s capital program created or sustained an estimated 3,180 jobs in 2012. For aspiring applicants of said jobs, they must first make sure to graduate in institutions like the engineering schools in missouri.
— In cooperation with the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT), the Illinois Tollway began work on the I-294/I-57 Interchange Project in May. As part of Move Illinois, the $719 million project will connect I-294 and I-57, one of only two points in the nation where interstates cross but do not connect, and improve access and economic development in the Chicago Southland.
— In September, the Tollway completed reconstruction of the I-294/I-90 Tri-Level Bridge, one of the most complicated, heavily traveled interchanges on the 286-mile Illinois Tollway Illinois system in Northern Illinois. The $13 million project was completed on time and on budget and was recognized as one of Roads and Bridges magazine’s Top 10 Bridges in North America.
Also in 2012, the Illinois Tollway planned and implemented a series of initiatives aimed at enhancing customer service:
— The Illinois Tollway added an easy-to-use Trip Calculator to its website that allows customers to select specific start and end points on an interactive map of the Tollway system and then calculates tolls along the designated route. Designed to help customers plan their trips and pay missed tolls, the Trip Calculator has had more than 505,200 total visits since it debuted in March.
— In November, the Illinois Tollway began offering customers a better way to contest toll violations for which they are not responsible. Drivers who receive a toll violation notice can go online, download a user-friendly form, attach the required documentation and return it to the Tollway for review and consideration. Previously, customers needed to call the Tollway or visit a Customer Service Center to explain why they were not legally responsible for the violations. The new form has been viewed by nearly 8,000 customers so far.
— In September, the Illinois Tollway approved a new five-year, $61.5 million contract with The Chicago Lighthouse to manage the Tollway’s Customer Call Center, providing assistance to Tollway customers calling 800-UCI-PASS for account services. This contract award completed the Tollway’s goal to break up the large, single contract for IPASS services into four smaller contracts in order to increase opportunity for businesses to work with the agency. The Tollway bid the work for this contract through the Illinois State Use Program, which is designed to provide employment for underserved communities, persons with disabilities and veterans.

Pat Barcas photo
College of DuPage’s Homeland Security Education Center has won the accolade of CISCO’s Project of the Year in the category of New Construction/Suburbs. Firefighters train indoors at the first facility of its kind in the midwest, designed to prepare first responders for disasters.

By Pat Barcas
Staff Writer
Thursday, Dec. 20, 2012
     Those traveling into Chicago on the Eisenhower expressway have no doubt witnessed the stunning new construction of Rush University Medical Center’s new Tower, located at 1653 West Congress Parkway.
     The dominant structure is getting recognition from Oak Brook’s CISCO, which has named the center its top project in the New Construction/Chicago category of the 2012 Project of the Year winners.
     “We are proud to recognize these projects, organizations and individuals for this prestigious award,” said CISCO Executive Director John Brining. “The Projects we receive each year demonstrates that the union construction industry produces the best product anywhere in the world, and this year was no exception.”
     Included in Rush’s 10 year, $1 billion campus redevelopment program is an 840,000 square foot, 14-story hospital building known as the Tower. The Tower houses 304 acute and critical care beds, 72 private neonatal intensive care rooms, 10 labor, delivery and recovery rooms, 28 new operating rooms and 14 procedure rooms.
     The Tower was engineered and constructed with numerous sustainable features, including recycled materials, water conservation, green roofs, passive solar lighting and heating, and operating room air quality throughout the entire building. The Tower attained LEED Gold NC certification in July 2012.
     Rush University teamed with general contractor Power/Jacobs Joint Venture, architect Perkins and Will, and structural engineer Thornton Thomasetti.
     The winner in the category of New Construction/Suburbs is the College of DuPage’s Homeland Security Education Center (HEC) in Glen Ellyn. The HEC responds to public concerns about national security and regional unemployment, and is the first facility of its kind in the midwest.
     The 62,000 square foot facility is designed to prepare firefighters, police personnel, and other first responders for international and domestic terrorist acts, as well as man-made and natural disasters.
     The College of DuPage worked with general contractor Power Construction, Legat Architects, Inc. and structural engineer Larson Engineering.
     Among rehabilitation projects, the Illinois Tollway wins that award with the I-294/I-90 Tri-level bridge project. According to CISCO, The Tri-level bridge that connect I-294 and the Jane Addams Tollway is one of the most complicated, heavily traveled interchanges on the 286 mile tollway system in Northern Illinois.
     The Tollway has constructed nearly one mile of bridge deck, built 192 precast, pre-stressed concrete beams, poured 5,000 cubic yards of concrete, spread 3,200 tons of asphalt and used 1.3 million pounds of reinforcement bars in the bridge decks.
     The Tollway project team consisted of general contractor Lorig Construction, architect Alfred Benesch and Co. and Burns and McDonnell Engineering Co. Inc.
     A formal presentation of all winners is scheduled at CISCO’s annual meeting Jan. 25, 2013.

Pat Barcas’ e-mail address is pat@foxvalleylabornews.com.

Pat Barcas photo
The original construction of the Downer Place bridge took three years, from 1906 to 1909. Thanks to speedy work crews, the new iteration took less than a year to construct.

By Pat Barcas
Staff Writer
Thursday, Dec. 20, 2012
     The name of the street may be Downer, yet the party was anything but.
The newly reconstructed Downer Place bridge officially opened Dec. 12 to much fanfare, music, and, for the first time, two-way traffic.
Both Downer Place and Benton Street, which have served as the detour route throughout the construction project, will now permanently become two-way thoroughfares between Broadway Avenue (Route 25) and Lake Street (Route 31.)
The changes also prompted the installation of traffic signal equipment at multiple intersections along Downer and Benton and four-way stop signs at the intersection of Downer and Stolp.
The project started in February 2012 and was able to be finished in one construction season — the only major bridge rebuild in Aurora history to be completed in such a short time window. The aggressive construction schedule reduced by several months the inconvenience to downtown businesses, patrons, and the community than would have been experienced in the past.
“Infrastructure is so important to the community, and this represents a major leap forward in that department,” said Mayor Tom Weisner in front of a crowd that packed the bridge for the grand re-opening. Weisner said construction crews worked seven days a week to get the bridge finished and open for traffic. “This was on schedule and on budget. We want to thank downtown merchants for their patience.”
“D” Construction of Coal City, Ill., handled the deconstruction and re-building of the Downer Street bridges. It specializes in roadwork, bridgework, concrete and utilities. “D” Construction was awarded a contract through the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) in November 2011 for $6.8 million. Eighty percent of that cost is paid through federal funds. The city’s share is $1.4 million, but $500,000 of the amount will be offset by a grant from the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity. The building of the bridge created many jobs for various trades.
Another change that will be implemented in 2013: free parking. Parking meters along Benton and Downer between Broadway and Lake are to be removed, and signage will be posted alerting downtown patrons that parking will be free on Downer and Benton for up to two hours through the end of this year. You can read about the costs here on fixing up the signage in this particular area.
Those attending the opening ceremony also got their first look at the Downer Place streetscape project, which is aimed at enhancing the vitality of the downtown and reducing pollutants entering the Fox River. The project consists of the removal and replacement of the sidewalk and curb and gutter on both sides of Downer between the bridges. Brick crosswalks have also been added.
“This is another gem for the city,” said second ward Alderman Juany Garza. “This is another great project, and the businesses downtown have to be proud of this.”

Pat Barcas’ e-mail address is pat@foxvalleylabornews.com.

By Pat Barcas
Staff Writer
Thursday, Dec. 20, 2012
     CHICAGO — Hundreds of SEIU Local 1 janitors left their final shift at O’Hare Airport unemployed Dec. 14, victims of a new city contract awarded to a non-union employer.
     United Maintenance will pay workers $11.90 an hour, as opposed to the vast majority of the formerly union workforce that made more than $15 per hour. Hundreds turned in their badges and emotionally walked off the job Friday, while some stayed on as non-union workers.
     SEIU Local 1 has been advocating for the city to re-bid the contract with United Maintenance for months, culminating with a protest in front of city hall last week with the Chicago Federation of Labor, as well as a Christmas caroling session in front of Mayor Emanuel’s house.
     “This contract severely jeopardizes the well-being of close to 350 men and women who go to work every day to keep the world’s busiest airport clean,” said Chicago Federation of Labor President Jorge Ramirez at the city hall rally Dec. 11. “These workers have done nothing wrong; yet on Friday, they will lose their jobs, their livelihoods, their health insurance, their retirement security and their dignity because of a public contract that rewards a low bidder who will cut wages, hours and benefits.”
     While the Mayor is poised to announce new transparency rules in contracting, aldermen and community groups have been advocating for the Responsible Bidder Ordinance — which has 31 co-sponsors — for the past year. The ordinance, which has been languishing in committee for a year, codifies standards for contractors providing services for the city and would require that they offer fair wages and benefits to workers and retain the existing workforce.
     SEIU says the Emanuel administration’s recent decision to award the O’Hare cleaning contract to an irresponsible contractor proves the need for higher standards and accountability for contractors that do business with the city.
     The union also says this is another step in the long line of disappearing jobs for the middle class.
     Over the last decade, airline profits have risen dramatically, while service jobs at the nation’s second busiest airport continue to pay less and offer fewer benefits, leaving more and more Chicagoans to be forced to rely on taxpayer-funded assistance. Emanuel said the decision to contract with United Maintenance saves taxpayers millions, but the union said it continues a pattern of cutting good jobs to help irresponsible contractors and large corporations increase their profits at the expense of good middle class jobs for Chicago.

Pat Barcas’ e-mail address is pat@foxvalleylabornews.com.

By Pat Barcas
Staff Writer
Thursday, Dec. 20, 2012
     CHICAGO — Union housekeepers say they have a simple solution to move Hyatt in a new direction: they want the company to add a hotel worker to its board of directors. Workers say Hyatt would be better off if someone who served hotel guests at some point in the last decade actually had a say in how the company is run.
     Chicago is once again at the center of nationwide union action against Hyatt hotels. Actions kicked off Dec. 11 at the group’s Chicago headquarters as UNITE HERE brought criticism of Hyatt’s record of labor abuses.
     Hotel workers submitted a resolution last week to the company for consideration at the annual shareholders meeting in June 2013. Hyatt workers in San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Antonio, Baltimore, Phoenix, Honolulu and Seattle also held events last week.
     Holding signs and speaking before large crowds, housekeepers say “someone like me” would make Hyatt a better company, for workers and shareholders alike. UNITE HERE says Democratic corporate governance structures that include workers have been successful in European countries for decades.
     “We all have a shared stake in Hyatt’s success, but no one who cleans rooms like me has a real say at Hyatt,” says Cathy Youngblood, a housekeeper at the Hyatt Andaz in West Hollywood. “By choosing someone like me to be on the board, Hyatt could be a model for corporate America at a time when so many American workers feel left behind.”
     Currently, Hyatt has 12 directors on its board. The new resolution proposes that a 13th board member be added from the ranks of Hyatt’s staff. Current board members include Tom and Penny Pritzker of the billionaire Pritzker family, Hyatt’s CEO Mark Hoplamazian, and Greg Penner, an heir to the Walmart fortune, among others.
     Other board members have ties to Goldman Sachs, private equity firms worth billions, and major brands like Macy’s and Royal Caribbean. None of the biographies published by Hyatt of current board members shows any having experience as a hotel worker.
     UNITE HERE says Hyatt has singled itself out as the worst employer in the hotel industry by abusing its housekeepers, replacing longtime employees with minimum wage temporary workers, and imposing health-threatening workloads on those who remain.
     In a first in the hotel industry, the federal government issued a letter to Hyatt earlier this year, warning the company of hazards their housekeepers face. Workers say that adding someone with recent guest experience to the board could reshape Hyatt’s staffing policies and improve Hyatt’s image.

Pat Barcas’ e-mail address is pat@foxvalleylabornews.com.