HTC Members: Make Your Voices Heard On Important Legislation

To our Members,

In coming weeks, the New Jersey State Senate will vote on a bill that dramatically improves the rights of workers to collect unemployment benefits during a strike. With the expiration of our Union’s Greater Regional Industry Wide Agreement (the “GRIWA”) on March 31st, the timing – and success – of this bill could not come at a more critical time.

A strike – and just as importantly, the threat of a strike – is our most potent weapon during contract negotiations. By going out on strike, we have the ability to hurt the one thing that the hotels care about the most: their bottom line. So, while we never look to go out on strike, we can never rule it out. In the event management comes to the negotiating table with unreasonable and outrageous demands, we need the power to make them cave.

What exactly would the New Jersey bill do?

The bill would accomplish a few key things:

• First, it would reduce the number of days that must pass before a worker can access unemployment insurance during a strike. This period of time is called the “disqualification period”. Right now, New Jersey has a 30-day disqualification period but this bill would cut that in half to just 14 days;

• Second, the bill would allow employees to access unemployment benefits immediately in the event their employer does any of the following:
  1) Hires replacement workers (a very common practice in the hotel industry),
  2) Locks out the workers during a strike, or
  3) Fails to abide by the existing contract or comply with state or federal law.

Whether you work at a hotel represented by the GRIWA or not, the outcome of these negotiations will affect you. So I am asking all of you to take a few minutes to help us pass this bill by signing our petition.

In Solidarity,

Rich Maroko

HTC President