BCinDC & the 2011 Convention

Micah Ehler:

A message from the Sheraton Crystal City Workers,

We, the workers of the Sheraton Crystal City Hotel, are currently locked in a labor dispute and boycott against our hotel owner, HEI. We are the cooks, housekeepers, and banquet staff that take great pride in serving our guests and doing our jobs well. In February of 2009 we joined other hotel workers around the United States and petitioned management to respect our rights. We asked that HEI agree to a fair process that would allow us to decide whether to form a union, without interference or intimidation from hotel management. Sadly, HEI denied these requests, even though other hotels in the Northern Virginia and Washington D.C area have agreed to this same process, including the Double Tree Crystal City, Capitol Hilton, Embassy Suites Crystal City, and the Sheraton Premiere at Tyson’s Corner.

Since the company has not accepted our demand for a fair, democratic process, and after a year of struggle that has included intimidation, supply shortages, protests, and the firing of a union supporter, we are taking the dramatic step of calling for a boycott of our own hotel. We are joining co-workers at two other HEI properties fighting for affordable healthcare, safer workloads and job security, the Long Beach Hilton and the San Francisco Le Meridian, who have already declared boycotts. We are now asking you not eat, sleep or meet at our hotel.

As a future customer of the Sheraton Crystal City, you have an influential voice. We ask that you speak with your fellow board members and the leadership about honoring our boycott. By changing the location of your meetings and room bookings from this HEI property, your organization can take a stand to support our fight and avoid being placed in the midst of a labor dispute.

Too often events are utterly ruined because organizations are poorly informed about the nature of a labor dispute, or expect a speedy resolution. The only way to ensure your event’s success is to move it to a hotel that is not under boycott. Please contact Micah Ehler at 614-746-1145 as soon as possible to learn more about how to best protect your event.

Thank you,

The Workers of the Sheraton Crystal City

Laurali Carroll:

On the Bookworm page please change my name from Laurali Gillenwaters to alrescate. Alrescate is also the name our wonderful donor would give wings to…except please ask if they would be willing to donate that amount to the convention instead of giving me wings.

And yes, I did vote for pink.

Thanks,
Laurali
(alrescate)