Labor rally targets city hotel

(July 18, 2007) — Rochester hotel workers, clergy and members of the community will gather for a rally outside the Crowne Plaza Hotel on Thursday to mark one year of calling for a union.

For Rev. Marlowe Washington, pastor of the Baber A.M.E. Church in Rochester, the rally will also be a celebration as the clergy will present about 3,000 signatures in support of the workers.

Washington is a founding member of Rochester Clergy and Laity United for Economic Justice — C.L.U.E. With Hotel Workers Rising, a national movement, the organization is urging Crowne Plaza Hotel to allow workers to form a union.

"We want to let the workers decide (to form a union), not the union, not the management, not the preachers, just the workers," Washington said. "They have the right to assemble."

Employees are fighting against the hotel's low wages, high health insurance costs, amount of unpaid overtime and other injustices, said Tracey Smith, p.m. supervisor and hotel housekeeper for the Crowne Plaza.

The fight is with Crowne Plaza owner Tzong-Jer Wei and general manager Paul Kremp. While Crowne Plaza is a chain, hotels are sold as individual franchises and it's up to the owners to unionize.

C.L.U.E. officials said they have tried to meet with the management without success.

In an interview, Kremp denied the allegations against the hotel. "They have the right to choose a position that they wish. Our employees are not being intimidated," Kremp said. "We've had an open-door policy at all times."

Smith and Jason Crane, organizing director for the Rochester regional joint board of UNITE HERE, disputed Kremp's assertions. They said Kremp had purposely "locked his door."

"We don't believe our employees need a union and we don't believe the union really understands our business," Kremp said.

Kremp said that it is a minority of staff members pushing for a union.

ASHEBAR@DemocratandChronicle.com