Filipino Community Center Supports Hotel Workers of San Francisco

November 12, 2009
Reference: Terrence Valen, Director, Filipino Community Center, 415-333-6267, info@filipinocc.org

Filipino Community Center Supports Hotel Workers of San Francisco

The Filipino Community Center, a community based organization located in the Excelsior District of San Francisco, firmly supports the 9,000 hotel workers in San Francisco that are struggling for union standards, fair wages, and affordable health care. The Local 2 Union recently called for a three day strike to shed light on the workers struggle for fair working conditions in the hotel industry, which employs a large number of Filipino cooks, housekeeping, security, and hospitality staff.

Hotel management has used the current recession as an excuse to neglect the demands of workers for something as basic as affordable health care, but despite the recession, the hotel industry has been able to generate $200 billion in profits over the past 10 years. Workers and their families are always the first to be affected in a feeble economy, while CEOs and corporate elites continue to enjoy greater profits. Instead of providing for the needs of the workers that fuel the hotel industry, corporate management continues to make excuses and slash benefits.

Hotel workers are the backbone of San Franciscos hospitality industry, which generates millions of dollars in revenue for the city of San Francisco. With tourism as an important pillar of the city of San Francisco, it is within the management and governments interests to support the hotel workers in their struggle for a fair contract and affordable health care.

Every day, the Filipino Community Center supports recent immigrants, working families, youth and students in the Excelsior neighborhood and the greater San Francisco area, witnessing the concrete impact of the economic downturn on the most vulnerable members of our communities. In these critical times, the need for our communities to unite and fight for our basic rights becomes more and more apparent. It is only when people unite for a just and common cause that real change can truly occur. It is in this spirit that the Filipino Community Center applauds the strength and determination of the hotel workers of San Francisco. Their just struggle for workers rights and benefits adds a crucial voice to the basic livelihood struggle of all residents of the San Francisco, Bay Area and beyond.

MABUHAY ANG MANGGAGAWA! (Long live the workers!)
SAHOD, TRABAHO, KARAPATAN, IPAGLABAN! (Fight for Wages, Work, & Rights!)
WORKERS RIGHTS ARE HUMAN RIGHTS!

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Category:

Nonprofits & Activism

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• Filipino
• Community
• Center
• Supports
• Hotel
• Workers
• of
• San
• Francisco