Labor Strife Continues Between Union And San Francisco Hotels

SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS) – Both sides in an ongoing San Francisco hotel boycott are once again at each other's throats as they try to reach an agreement on a new contract.

Employees of Unite Local 2 have been without a contract since August of 2009. Steve Falk, the head of the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce, has urged both sides to come to an agreement.

"We still have 45,000 unemployed San Franciscans. We have 12 million square feet of vacant office space," Falk said. "And to put that in perspective, that's the equivalent of 10 Bank of America buildings that are vacant."

KCBS' Bob Melrose Reports:

Aurolyn Rush, a Grand Hyatt telephone operator for 15 years, said it's been tough to negotiate.

"We're not getting anywhere. The negotiations, the things that they are putting on the table are really horrible," Rush said. "And there's no way we can accept these terms."

Health care payments are just one of the issues and there is an ongoing hearing over the transfer of union money from one fund to another.

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