Hyatt settles strike, sends heiress to Washington
As Hyatt Hotels Corp. heiress Penny Pritzker was sworn in as the 38th Commerce Secretary of the United States, the hotel company ended a four-year dispute with the union representing thousands of its employees.
The settlement finally puts an end to an embarrassing global boycott of Hyatt that had gained support from other unions, workers’ rights groups and civil rights organizations.
New contracts will provide retroactive wage increases, health care and pension benefits through 2018 to Hyatt employees.
The agreement between Hyatt and Unite Here will go into effect when union contracts are approved by workers in Chicago, Honolulu, Los Angeles and San Francisco.
Over the past two years, the union staged a number of one-day strikes in major cities to protest wages and working conditions.
Meanwhile, Pritzker, a top Obama supporter and Hyatt board member with 25 years of experience in the real estate, hospitality, and financial services industries, was officially named to the Cabinet position.
She is a Stanford University-trained lawyer with a net worth of about $1.85 billion.
Pritzker served as national finance chair of Obama’s first presidential campaign in 2008, raising $750 million, and co-chair for his 2012 race (see previous story https://www.travelmole.com/news_feature.php?news_id=2006300&c=setreg®ion=3).
She also was CEO of PSP Capital Partners; has developed companies such as Vi, The Parking Spot and Pritzker Realty Group; and has served on the President’s Council for Jobs and Competitiveness and the President’s Economic Recovery Advisory Board.
She has served on the boards of Hyatt Hotels Corporation, Wm. Wrigley Jr. Co., Marmon Group and LaSalle Bank Corp., and is the former executive chairman of TransUnion.
By Cheryl Rosen
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