Press Releases
Le Méridien Workers Vote to Become Teamsters Local 856
Front-Office Staff at Le Méridien Hotel, a Marriott Property, Vote to Become Members of Teamsters Local 856
On Thursday, June 2, the front-office staff at the famed, upscale Le Méridien Hotel in San Francisco overwhelmingly voted to become members of Teamsters Local 856, joining a growing movement of union hotels in the Bay Area.
“We are proud of the front office staff of the Le Méridien hotel who made their voices heard with a resounding yes to becoming Teamsters,” said Peter Finn, Secretary-Treasurer of Teamsters Local 856. “Our Local has a proud tradition of representing hotel workers in the Bay Area and the front office staff at Le Méridien are now part of it. We look forward to getting to the bargaining table and winning a strong union contract for these members.”
Workers were met with an egregious anti-union campaign with the company hiring a notoriously anti-union law firm. Captive audience meetings and daily one-on-one meetings were held by management to deter people from joining the union, reported workers.
“I am so happy that my coworkers and I are able to see our hard work pay off,” said Kelly McKee, a front-office worker at the Le Méridien. “We organized our union and it’s great to see that Le Méridien front office staff will be given the respect and fair treatment we have always deserved.”
The 23-member unit consists of front desk workers, night auditors, bellmen and PBX operators.
“It is a wonderful feeling knowing that the team I work with, and I, will be treated with dignity and respect,” said Alfonso Cano, a front-office worker at the Le Méridien. “We will sleep better knowing that as union members, we can count on having more job security. We’re looking forward to gaining justice, equality, improved working conditions, and benefits. Some of my co-workers have never been union members before and I’m excited they will get to experience being a Teamsters 856 member.”
The Le Méridien Hotel is a property of Marriott International.
Teamsters Local 856 represents workers at over 50 hotels across the Bay Area, including Hyatt, Hilton, and numerous boutique hotels.
Founded in 1949, Teamsters Local 856 represents over 17,000 hardworking members in the San Francisco Bay Area, North Bay, Sacramento, and Central Valley communities.