Local 21 of the Hotel, Hospital, Restaurant and Tavern Employees Union will rally in Rochester Thursday, July 25, in support of workers' freedom to choose whether or not they want to unionize.
The rally will be at 11 a.m. at the Peace Plaza, 1st Ave. SW (behind the Galleria Mall).
A year ago, the Kahler Grand Hotel, whose workers are members of Local 21, closed down its Greenhouse Restaurant. Sunstone Properties, which owns the hotel and is one of the area's largest hotel and restaurant employers, has decided to lease the space to Victoria's Fine Italian Cuisine, which is non-union.
Local 21 asked the majority owner of Victoria's, Ken Nuss, to sign a 'card count neutrality agreement.' The agreement would ensure that the restaurant would not fight unionization if a majority of workers want it. Nuss refused.
Local 21 says that in leasing space to Victoria's, Sunstone is subcontracting to avoid unionization.
'What this means is that 20+ union jobs with good pay and benefits are no longer available to the workers in Rochester,' Local 21 said on its website. 'If this trend continues then more union jobs will be lost.'
Nuss rejects the criticism. 'We are organized as a family and we do not need a union to organize us,' he told the Rochester Post-Bulletin. According to Nuss, at least half of Victoria's employees are family members.
But Local 21 says it wants to ensure workers can make the decision themselves.
'We believe that at the very least the people who will be working in the former Greenhouse should have the unfettered freedom to choose,' the union said.
For more information about the rally contact Brian Brandt at 507-288-2021 or go to www.local21.com.
Hannah Clark is a recent graduate of Macalester College who is interning with Workday Minnesota and the Union Advocate newspaper.
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Local 21 of the Hotel, Hospital, Restaurant and Tavern Employees Union will rally in Rochester Thursday, July 25, in support of workers’ freedom to choose whether or not they want to unionize.
The rally will be at 11 a.m. at the Peace Plaza, 1st Ave. SW (behind the Galleria Mall).
A year ago, the Kahler Grand Hotel, whose workers are members of Local 21, closed down its Greenhouse Restaurant. Sunstone Properties, which owns the hotel and is one of the area’s largest hotel and restaurant employers, has decided to lease the space to Victoria’s Fine Italian Cuisine, which is non-union.
Local 21 asked the majority owner of Victoria’s, Ken Nuss, to sign a ‘card count neutrality agreement.’ The agreement would ensure that the restaurant would not fight unionization if a majority of workers want it. Nuss refused.
Local 21 says that in leasing space to Victoria’s, Sunstone is subcontracting to avoid unionization.
‘What this means is that 20+ union jobs with good pay and benefits are no longer available to the workers in Rochester,’ Local 21 said on its website. ‘If this trend continues then more union jobs will be lost.’
Nuss rejects the criticism. ‘We are organized as a family and we do not need a union to organize us,’ he told the Rochester Post-Bulletin. According to Nuss, at least half of Victoria’s employees are family members.
But Local 21 says it wants to ensure workers can make the decision themselves.
‘We believe that at the very least the people who will be working in the former Greenhouse should have the unfettered freedom to choose,’ the union said.
For more information about the rally contact Brian Brandt at 507-288-2021 or go to www.local21.com.
Hannah Clark is a recent graduate of Macalester College who is interning with Workday Minnesota and the Union Advocate newspaper.