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Merits of Marriott Hotels Strike 2018

Old Oct 16, 2018, 2:12 am
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Merits of Marriott Hotels Strike 2018

Old Oct 15, 2018, 12:17 am
  #61  
 
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Suspect the union is trying to link MAGC to safety in terms of being able to prevent bad actors from using hotel rooms as a staging point for domestic terrorism. (think Vegas shooting). Indirectly creating an unsafe workplace if someone is stock piling guns, running a meth lab or human trafficking.

Personally I dont think housekeeping is the right resource for this task.
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Old Oct 15, 2018, 11:20 am
  #62  
 
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Originally Posted by JackE
I can't believe the parasites that run unions would fool anyone with that argument. Here's a more plausible theory: The more union employees there are, the more dues there are. The more dues there are, the more that union bosses make.
That was not the argument being made by the union so just grasp onto a reason to fit within the fixed narrative in your head was convenient and not all that useful. MAGC can be a problem for workers when people leave food waste in the rooms for several days with no cleaning done. The work load is also increased when extra messy people damage things in the room and nobody knows about it for several days as there was no cleaning staff authorized entry. With high levels of occupancy and people waiting to check in, you don't want to have to take a room out of service or have to call in extra staff at the last minute to get rooms back into inventory without a very long wait for the next guest that is waiting at check in.

I am sure there is a happy medium which can be worked out and that is what the union and management at the various hotels should be talking about to resolve.
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Old Oct 15, 2018, 12:01 pm
  #63  
 
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Originally Posted by sfozrhfco
That was not the argument being made by the union so just grasp onto a reason to fit within the fixed narrative in your head was convenient and not all that useful. MAGC can be a problem for workers when people leave food waste in the rooms for several days with no cleaning done. The work load is also increased when extra messy people damage things in the room and nobody knows about it for several days as there was no cleaning staff authorized entry. With high levels of occupancy and people waiting to check in, you don't want to have to take a room out of service or have to call in extra staff at the last minute to get rooms back into inventory without a very long wait for the next guest that is waiting at check in.

I am sure there is a happy medium which can be worked out and that is what the union and management at the various hotels should be talking about to resolve.
I seriously doubt that UNITE is worried about damage to a room or a room being out of service. They certainly aren't worried about calling in extra staff!

And ... can you do MAGC for several days?

MAGC has nothing to do with safety and UNITE knows nothing about innovation.
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Old Oct 15, 2018, 12:16 pm
  #64  
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Good article on this in the NYT yesterday

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/11/b...ee-strike.html

I found this section the most telling - a massive to Marriott

Some credit unions still see their mission in such terms. But in recent decades, many have subtly shifted their approach. As falling interest rates made loans less lucrative, credit unions largely turned to fees to help replace the lost income. Over the past quarter-century, the average value of the fees collected for every dollar of interest income has risen to nearly 17 cents, from just under 7 cents.For credit unions harder pressed to fund their operations, that figure can get much higher. The GE Credit Union of Connecticut makes 34 cents in fees for every dollar of interest on loans, according to last year’s regulatory filings. The Montgomery County Employees Federal Credit Union in Maryland makes 44 cents.
But even against this backdrop, Marriott is an outlier. It takes in 52 cents in fees for every dollar of interest income.

As a result, some Marriott workers find themselves in a kind of financial double jeopardy: Low pay from Marriott keeps their account balances minimal, and those modest balances lead to more fees, crimping their assets further.
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Old Oct 15, 2018, 1:53 pm
  #65  
 
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Originally Posted by UA-NYC
Good article on this in the NYT yesterday

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/11/b...ee-strike.html

I found this section the most telling - a massive to Marriott

Some credit unions still see their mission in such terms. But in recent decades, many have subtly shifted their approach. As falling interest rates made loans less lucrative, credit unions largely turned to fees to help replace the lost income. Over the past quarter-century, the average value of the fees collected for every dollar of interest income has risen to nearly 17 cents, from just under 7 cents.For credit unions harder pressed to fund their operations, that figure can get much higher. The GE Credit Union of Connecticut makes 34 cents in fees for every dollar of interest on loans, according to last years regulatory filings. The Montgomery County Employees Federal Credit Union in Maryland makes 44 cents.
But even against this backdrop, Marriott is an outlier. It takes in 52 cents in fees for every dollar of interest income.

As a result, some Marriott workers find themselves in a kind of financial double jeopardy: Low pay from Marriott keeps their account balances minimal, and those modest balances lead to more fees, crimping their assets further.
Seems like an easy solution would be to move to one of the many banks that do not have these nonsense fees.
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Old Oct 15, 2018, 1:56 pm
  #66  
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Originally Posted by mtftw
Seems like an easy solution would be to move to one of the many banks that do not have these nonsense fees.
That misses the point of a credit union and what it can offer esp. to lower-income employees
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Old Oct 15, 2018, 2:34 pm
  #67  
 
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Originally Posted by UA-NYC
That misses the point of a credit union and what it can offer esp. to lower-income employees
Agreed but ... the credit union still has to break even as well as cover its own salaries and benefits.

I find a lot of bank charges annoying and have found a bank that doesn't charge them. Of course, UNITE could start its own credit union if they wanted.
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Old Oct 15, 2018, 6:22 pm
  #68  
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Originally Posted by C17PSGR
Agreed but ... the credit union still has to break even as well as cover its own salaries and benefits.

I find a lot of bank charges annoying and have found a bank that doesn't charge them. Of course, UNITE could start its own credit union if they wanted.
No one forces Starriott employees to use the Marriott credit union. They can use local community credit unions, affinity credit unions based on groups to which they belong, or various types of banks if banking services are desired. Some might avoid bank-like institutions totally in favor of paypal, etc.
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Old Oct 15, 2018, 7:16 pm
  #69  
 
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Not to take sides in an increasingly bitter and shrill debate, but a main driver behind the Make a Green Choice is undoubtedly to reduce housekeeper hours (coming from someone who uses the program a lot). Housekeepers also have been switched to being assigned to rooms via app where they used to canvas floors, increasing efficiency. These changes do benefit customers, but they also increase profits.

In this environment Im all for the two parties fighting it out for what they believe is right. I have no issue with Marriott or the union. It is what it is.
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Old Oct 15, 2018, 9:29 pm
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Originally Posted by Adelphos
Not to take sides in an increasingly bitter and shrill debate, but a main driver behind the Make a Green Choice is undoubtedly to reduce housekeeper hours (coming from someone who uses the program a lot). Housekeepers also have been switched to being assigned to rooms via app where they used to canvas floors, increasing efficiency. These changes do benefit customers, but they also increase profits.

In this environment Im all for the two parties fighting it out for what they believe is right. I have no issue with Marriott or the union. It is what it is.
Valid points. The practical issue is that MAGC reduces housekeeper hours and the hotels focus on metrics driven housekeeping assignments dividing teams between those dealing with rooms of departing guests vs rooms of guests who are staying which obviously have different metrics.

Still, higher wages can only increase pressure on productivity.

In fairness, I could understand the unions concern regarding job security but the practical issue issue is that even MAGC continues to grow, the reduction in housekeeping hours won't impact any individuals because the reduction of hours overall will be offset by turnover.

Of course, if the SF Marriott Marquis hires fewer housekeepers, then those are few people paying an initiation fee or $66 a month in dues in SF.
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Old Oct 15, 2018, 11:14 pm
  #71  
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Originally Posted by C17PSGR
Sticking with Marriott, this strike against certain operators is partially about enhancing wages but also about trying to stop innovation.

I'm not a middle management worker bee and certainly understand those who work blue collar jobs more than most but the reality is I don't want people who beat on drums and don't take advantage of educational opportunities controlling the innovation in the Marriott world.
Hahahaha. Have you compared marriott.com with spg.com or their pre-August 18th apps? Have you seen their soaps made in China? The bottles VASA water that is from the municipal tap of Modesto, CA? Trust me, Marriott is not interested in innovation unless it's innovating ways to increase the bottom line.
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Old Oct 15, 2018, 11:46 pm
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Originally Posted by travelinmanS
A lot of anti-union animus by the middle management worker bees that I imagine are the majority of the population of FT. It's sad to see we've lost respect for our fellow workers in favor of huge corporations. I personally will cancel my reservation at the Royal Hawaiian rather than cross the picket line if this is continuing in December. Not for service reasons, but to stand up for the right of the workers there to earn a fare wage with decent benefits.

Just remember, with automation and A.I., it may be your job that's next. A.I. can probably make a better deal for less cost than sending some Joe Schmo back and forth across the country selling cloud computing or widgets to various purchasers (who will also be automated soon).
Has it occurred to you that a lot of the guests who are impacted by goons beating drums at 6 a.m. are themselves trying to make a living? There is a difference between legitimate collective bargaining and harassing customers who have no dog in the fight.
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Old Oct 16, 2018, 2:14 am
  #73  
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MODERATOR NOTE: While this thread exists for people to discuss the economics and merits of the Marriott strike, any discussion of the general merits of labor unions belongs in OMNI. Any posts which address other posters or characterise people using inflammatory language violates FlyerTalk Rules will be deleted without notice.

Contributions around the current atmosphere and service level at specific hotels can be found at https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/marr...-2018-a-2.html
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Old Oct 16, 2018, 5:16 am
  #74  
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Is this strike going on? Does it apply at the downtown Baltimore properties [or select ones?]

I just want to avoid this crap and will use another chain or at least a hotel without this garbage going on?
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Old Oct 16, 2018, 7:22 am
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Originally Posted by itsaboutthejourney
The bottles VASA water that is from the municipal tap of Modesto, CA?
SPG was very focused on getting as many plastic bottles out of its properties as possible. I suppose there is reduced labor cost from having people put the bottles in the room but I hope Marriott will do something like the Hilton approach of only giving bottles upon request.

Originally Posted by TrojanHorse
Is this strike going on? Does it apply at the downtown Baltimore properties [or select ones?]

I just want to avoid this crap and will use another chain or at least a hotel without this garbage going on?
This is not a strike against every property that has a connection with Marriott. It only is for certain contracts with certain operators. As of now, its San Diego, Boston, San Francisco, and Hawaii so nothing in Baltimore that I've heard of.
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