Stronger Contract Enforcement
Enforcing our contracts is already one of our Union’s strengths - with thousands of grievances resolved each year. But we’re striving to do even better.
Our master contracts are the gold standard in the unionized industry with the highest wages, best benefits, and most robust rights and protections. But the best contract in the world isn’t worth the paper it’s written on if it’s not honored.
That’s why effective contract enforcement is so critical - and such a priority for our Union.
Our Union is launching six initiatives designed to help us find more contract violations and resolve them more quickly. From providing delegate trainings to hiring more enforcement staff to developing brand-new, custom technology, we looked for ways to modernize our enforcement operation at every step in the grievance process.
1: New Enforcement Staff
For many years, our Business Agents have had large assignments. Some with as many as 3,000 members. While they do a good job juggling, there is no question that they’ll be more effective if they can spend more time in each shop and focus on representing a smaller group of members.
So, we launched a successful new program to recruit and train BAs from our membership. We’ve hired 6 full-time BAs from the program so far. Get to know them below.
Jason Thompson
Business Agent - Jason became a member of the Union over 10 years ago. He started off in the housekeeping department at the Intercontinental Times Square, before accepting a job at the Four Seasons Downtown. Jason was a Core Front Desk delegate at the Four Seasons for 7 years, where he took pride in taking care of the shop and learning the art of negotiating with management from his own Business Agent. Now, Jason enforces the contract full time as a Business Agent with the Union. “I’m here to keep the fight alive and the Union strong.”
Enrique Polanco
Business Agent - Enrique started working as a Food Server at Empire City Casino in 2009. When HTC took over for another union at the property, Enrique quickly learned the ins and outs of his new contract. Enrique took his role as delegate seriously, using his detailed case notes to help resolve grievances on the shop floor. “There’s nothing better than making sure management stays in line and our fellow members are being protected.” Now, he’s joined HTC Staff as a BA. “There’s no doubt about it - this is my calling.”
Alexis Alvarado
Business Agent - Alexis joined our Union a decade ago as a Steward at the Park Hyatt. The more Alexis learned about our contracts and how we won them, the more it inspired him to contribute to our fight at rallies, political events, and on the shop floor as a delegate (“his very first Union job”). Before becoming a Business Agent, Alexis worked as an Organizer with the Union where he helped to grow our Union - and our power - during more than 14 organizing drives. “As a Business Agent, I get to empower our members, fight for people’s jobs, and continue building the Union’s power.”
Johanna Ortiz
Business Agent - After 23 years at the Roosevelt, Johanna joined our Union’s contract enforcement team. Johanna had many roles in her time at the Roosevelt, from Guest Response Agent to Office Coordinator to Housekeeping Supervisor and, most proudly, Union Delegate. Now, as a Business Agent, Johanna is passionate about defending our members against management. “There’s a whole army of people that exist to support our members.”
Robert Summers
Business Agent - Robert has been a member of our Union for 25 years. After a successful decades-long career at the Palace as an Audio-Visual Supervisor and Union Delegate, Robert joined HTC Staff as a Business Agent. Robert is driven, making sure management stays in line and abides the contract. His message: “Our members have a strong backing in us. We’re a professional enforcement team with a contract to fortify us.”
Vincent Felicione
Business Agent - Vincent “Vinny” Felicione has worked in kitchens for most of his career, starting off at non-union restaurants at the age of 13. In the early 2000s, Vinny got a job at his first union hotel - a move that changed his life from working many years under the thumb of brutal restaurant owners to having security and a voice at work. After working at a Hilton and the Carlyle, Vinny became a Union Sous Chef at the Pierre Hotel in 2009, where he built a reputation as a fierce and effective delegate. “The fight never ends. From being a delegate in the shop, to my role as Business Agent now, one thing hasn’t changed: I work hard to represent you.”
Ingrid Williams
Rank and File Representative - Ingrid has been a union member since July of 1994 when she was hired at the New York Hilton. Ingrid worked concierge and later as Front Desk Coordinator at the hotel. Ingrid has been part of the Union’s fight since she was born – she would attend rallies and picket lines with her mother, who was a union member and delegate. Now, as a Rank and File Representative, Ingrid represents members on the shop floor as part of our contract enforcement team. Ingrid: “You have a whole team of people to back you up. I will always give 100% for you. You’re never alone.”
Tom Oliva
Grievance Officer - For more than a decade, Tom Oliva has taken on many roles at our Union, from working with our members as a HEAT Rep, to running our Union’s Hiring Enforcement Office, to negotiating thousands of cases in grievance meetings as a Business Agent. In 2021, Tom earned a master’s degree at New York University and was later promoted to Grievance Officer. “I’ve been fighting for our members for my whole career at the Union. We have an impressive grievance machinery at HTC - I am proud to keep building on this solid foundation in my new role as Grievance Officer.”
2: New Technology
e-BA
The electronic business agent, “e-BA” for short, is leveraging the power of artificial intelligence to catch common contract violations.
The digitization of huge amounts of data in recent years gives our Union the opportunity to use new technology to proactively catch contract violations. Recognizing this, we negotiated with the industry last year to upload payroll and scheduling data on a weekly basis. Our new tool, the e-BA, is designed to analyze this data, with the intention of catching grievances that may otherwise go unnoticed.
Casebook
With this new mobile app, our enforcement staff will have access to their case files at their fingertips.
We’re taking advantage of new technology to recreate and rethink our internal grievance procedures.
For decades, our Business Agents, Supervisors, and lawyers have tracked grievances on paper, using a methodical system to make sure that no detail was missed. The new Casebook app will build on that structure - and bring it all into a single database that’s available anywhere. Casebook will give our staff access to all the information they need about a case including the case history, evidence, and relevant contract language. It will also keep our machinery moving smoothly by automating the scheduling of next steps and alerting staff if a case is falling behind.
MEETINGS
Using the Meetings layout, Business Agents will be able to take their meeting notes directly in Casebook - using a stylus pen, keyboard, or handwriting-to-text conversion. This tool will let them open new cases on the spot, add parties to a case, update member contact information, and refer to previous meeting notes in the field.
ENFORCEMENT
The Enforcement layout is the homebase for Business Agents to review and update their cases.
LEGAL
Once it’s determined by the Union’s supervisors and leadership that a case cannot be resolved in the shop, the Grievance Officer takes the lead. Using the Legal layout, our Grievance Officer and lawyers will have access to all of the BAs meeting notes and previous correspondence for a case. They can draft the Union’s position for arbitration, store relevant evidence and calculations, tag related cases, and ensure that a case is moving smoothly.
3: The Grievance Officer
Sped up mediation & arbitration process by 70% since creating the role of Grievance Officer
The Grievance Officer is responsible for moving cases through the grievance and arbitration process efficiently. Once it’s determined that a case needs legal intervention, it becomes the Grievance Officer’s job to make sure that it progresses on track and that the Union’s arguments are strong and ready to present at the hearing.
On any given day, this means the Grievance Officer is preparing the schedule of upcoming cases, analyzing the evidence of each case, speaking with members and witnesses to prepare key testimony, identifying the contract provisions and arbitral precedent that are relevant to a case, calculating potential backpay, and representing the Union at mediation.
4: More Arbitrators, More Cases Heard
25% more hearing slots at the Arbitrator’s office
When we are unable to reach a resolution with management, we have negotiated the right in our contracts to bring the case in front of an impartial arbitrator. Our dedicated panel of arbitrators have heard thousands of cases, know our contracts, understand the work that our members do, and have studied decades of case history. They are given broad rights under the contract and their decisions are final and binding. This system ensures that both the Union and management live up to the contract.
And while the arbitration process is exponentially faster than the court system, the sheer number of cases our Union brings can create a backlog. So, we have added more arbitrators to our panel, increased the number of hearing slots by 25%, and adjusted scheduling procedures to prevent delays.
5: Stronger Penalties for Bad Actors
By creating financial disincentives, we can discourage management from violating the contract or engaging in delay tactics in the first place. Our contracts already have provisions that penalize management for willfully underpaying workers or using delay tactics.
We’re going even further at the bargaining table. We won increases to those penalties for repeat offenders in the GRIWA – our master contract outside of New York City – and hope to win similar improvements throughout the unionized industry.
6: Delegate Trainings
The next round of Delegate Trainings will begin in mid-September! Delegates at hotels covered by the IWA and GRIWA can sign up here.
