San Francisco Hotel News & Labor Updates

For Immediate Release Media Contact Sam Singer (415) 227-9700 San Francisco Hotels See Slow Recovery Ahead New Data Shows Need for Quick Union Contract Resolution San Francisco, California (January 4, 2010) – San Francisco’s tourism industry is facing a slow recovery, underscoring the need for union leaders and city hotels to reach agreement soon on a new labor contract. “Despite union claims that city hotels can afford hundreds of thousands of dollars in contract increases, the truth is hotel occupancy has been down this year while national economic conditions continue to limit leisure and business trips to San Francisco,” said Sam Singer, a spokesman for the Hotel Council of San Francisco. “That’s why union leaders have been so backwards in their thinking in scheduling union activity in November and December that was designed to impede hotel business. Tourism is the number one industry in San Francisco. Labor and San Francisco hotels need to settle their differences at the bargaining table to protect an industry vital to the city and union members.” Leaders of Local 2 plan to stage a rally tomorrow at the San Francisco Hilton, proof again that they are not focused on reaching a contract agreement at the bargaining table. A recent story in The Wall Street Journal explains how hotel occupancy fell earlier this year to its lowest level since 2005. Analysts believe San Francisco’s hotel business won’t recover to pre-recession levels until 2011 due to continued high levels of unemployment. The Journal cited figures that show monthly hotel occupancy in San Francisco fell from January through September, compared with 2008. In February, hotel occupancy sank to 59.6% — the lowest such rate since January 2005 — from 73.9% a year earlier. Year-over-year figures indicate hotel revenue is down 20 percent. The cost of employee medical coverage for San Francisco hotels have risen by 300 percent in the past 10 years. Hotels involved in contract talks are seeking modest increases in employee medical co-pays in an effort to make healthcare costs more manageable for the long term. “San Francisco remains one of the world’s top destinations,” said Mr. Singer. “Union leaders have got to understand that negative impacts to San Francisco hotels ultimately hurt hotel employees and threaten the city’s economic health. This isn’t a zero-sum game and the economic realities facing all of us suggest a swift resolution to this contract dispute is appropriate.” For more information, visit www.hotelcouncilsf.org. [...]