Hotels lock employees out

"Our agreement is a strike against one is a strike against all," said Matt Adams, general manager for the Hyatt Regency

The lockout began at 5 a.m. and includes The Fairmont San Francisco, the Four Seasons Hotel San Francisco, the Grand Hyatt San Francisco, the Holiday Inn Civic Center Hotel, the Holiday Inn Express and Suites Fisherman's Wharf, the Holiday Inn at Fisherman's Wharf, The Palace Hotel, the Hyatt Regency San Francisco, the Omni San Francisco Hotel and the Westin St. Francis.

According to the SFMEG, the main sticking point in the contract negotiations with the union was the union's insistence on a two-year contract. Hotels represented by the SFMEG have demanded a five-year contract instead.

"We believe that a five-year agreement will bring stability to San Francisco," said Adams. UNITE HERE Local 2 has refused to any further negotiations unless a two-year agreement is adopted, reports SFMEG.

SFMEG members announced that service at their hotels had not yet been adversely affected by the strike. All of the hotels were forced to abandon housekeeping and room service, but were anticipating being able to fill these vacancies with employees of hotels from out of state, and non-union temporary workers were brought in.

The lockout has provoked a bitter response from union representatives.

"I think that it's an unwise move on the part of the employers. I think it's an escalation,"said Mike Casey, spokesman for UNITE HERE Local 2.

"I wonder if they are acting in the interest of their guests in any way shape or form," continued Casey.

There is a sense of "camaraderie" between the hotel guests and staff, Adams said. Some of the general managers, however, were hoping for a quick end to the strike.

"We certainly look forward, very genuinely, to our employees returning," said Brian Hughes, general manager for the Argent Hotel. The Argent was one of the original four hotels hit by the strike on Wednesday.