Hyatt Hotel Housekeepers, Fired After Protesting Sexual Harassment, Rally for Better Treatment

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http://www.alternet.org/story/154439/hyatt_hotel_housekeepers%2C_fired_after_protesting_sexual_harassment%2C_rally_for_better_treatment/

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On the surface, this is a case about sexual harassment. The Reyes sisters did not consent to having their faces used in a sexualized collage that was apparently a source of much amusement for other employees, who laughed when they saw the photos. Martha and Lorena both felt humiliated and ashamed when they saw the images; Lorena doesn’t even own a bikini, and after 24 years of hard work as a housekeeper, doesn’t have the kind of body used with her face. Martha tells AltetNet that “I was the one who had to listen to and be there while people were laughing, my coworkers and other supervisors.” This does not sound like employee appreciation, or harmless office fun.

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This is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to routine violations of workers' rights at Hyatt. The hotel where the sisters were working has a history of labor violations, including intimidation and harassment of workers involved in union organizing. Hyatt housekeepers are underpaid and overworked in a very gendered field, which ties in with the sexual harassment issue.

Women workers in low-ranking positions, like housekeepers, are often presumed to be sexually available, a recurrent issue for women working in large chain hotels, who may be sexually assaulted or harassed by guests as well as other staff. In 2011, this issue made international headlines when Dominique Strauss-Kahn, head of the International Monetary Fund, was accused of assaulting a housekeeper. Frequently, hotel staff have limited legal recourse and protections for fear of retaliation, and thus suffer these conditions in silence. Providing a safer environment for housekeepers would reduce the incidence of harassment and assault, but it would also add to the hotel company’s bottom line, so the industry has been resistant to the idea.

And it’s a case about race; the Reyes sisters are among thousands of hotel housekeepers employed in California, many of whom are Latina. Representation of women of color among hotel workers is significant, and many are of undocumented or unclear immigration status, which makes it even more difficult for them to report work and safety violations. Troublingly, chains like Hyatt are turning to private contractors for cleaning services, which allows them to escape legal and moral liability for abuses in their hotels. In this culture of fear, many women may be intimidated into remaining silent about sexual harassment because of worries about deportation and other retaliatory actions.