Best Governor ever......

Gotta admit that I don't know squat about him other than this, but he sounds cool. Maybe he can give a few pointers to our President......

Mass. gov tells state workers to shut out Hyatt

BOSTON (AP) -- Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick said Wednesday that he has instructed state employees to stop doing business with Hyatt hotels until it rehires 100 housekeepers it fired last month.

Hyatt Hotel Corp., citing declining revenues, laid off the Boston-area housekeepers and replaced them with lower-paid workers from a Georgia company.

In a letter to Hyatt, Patrick criticized the layoffs, citing reports that fired workers trained their replacements after being told they were vacation fill-ins.

He urged Hyatt to work with staffers, rather "than tossing them out unceremoniously."

Hyatt, in a statement, said that like many other businesses it has been forced to make difficult staffing decisions. The company said it offered the laid-off workers severance, counseling, retraining and health coverage to year's end.

Patrick met with about 30 of the workers at a union hall Wednesday night.

"I know these are tough economic times but there is a right way and a wrong way to do things and this was wrong," the governor said following the private meeting.

Serandou Kamara, 32, said she had worked five years at the hotel cleaning rooms and told Patrick how upset she was at the way she was let go.

"We are human beings. What they did to us was wrong," said Kamara, who has three children and is expecting a fourth.

Patrick acknowledged that his own administration has been forced to cut jobs due to a budget shortfall, but said he never misled state workers or asked them to train their replacements.

In its statement, Hyatt said the governor's threatened boycott of the hotel would endanger the livelihoods of 600 other employees who live and work in Massachusetts.

"We do not understand why the Governor is putting more Massachusetts jobs at risk instead of working with us to find jobs for employees affected by the realities of these unprecedented economic challenges," the company said.

So, what, you can't fire people now? I don't think I agree. I guess the method was underhanded, but there are no guaranteed jobs.

tuna55 wrote: So, what, you can't fire people now? I don't think I agree. I guess the method was underhanded, but there are no guaranteed jobs.

Sure, they're allowed do underhanded and disrespectful things. But other people are allowed to say their not going to do business with companies that do.

In a flurry of interviews this past weekend Obama used the reference "I" or "me" over 1200 times; what could you possibly teach a guy that that doesn't recognize anything buy his own views?

Hyatt people, it sucks, welcome to big business.

The governor really doesn't have any place in this fight. He's just grandstanding. If the former employers chose to have a protest, that's fine, but the governor is just abusing his/her position.

OMG !! The world is not Fair?!?!?!?!?!?

Why didn't anyone tell me?

I have no problem with Hyatt making difficult decisions.

I have no problem with people disagreeing with Hyatt, or deciding to not do business with them.

However, unless they broke state employment laws, I have a problem with a Governor mandating that state employees being paid for by state tax dollars should boycott ANY business. The departments and agencies should make their purchasing decisions based on guidelines and laws, not on the opinions and whims of the Governor.

tuna55 wrote: The governor really doesn't have any place in this fight. He's just grandstanding. If the former employers chose to have a protest, that's fine, but the governor is just abusing his/her position.

I guess this is where I disagree. I think that the Gov is standing up for his constituents. While I do believe in capitalism and am anti-union in general. it's nice to see a politician actually stand up to a corporation and call them out when they do something as underhanded as this. It's also disappointing to see Hyatt's reaction to his announcement by saying that he is endangering 600 other jobs and shifting the blame of finding employment for the 100 others let go.

While Hyatt had every right to reduce costs they also have an obligation to the employees let go.

Maybe I am just a bit jaded living in WI where we have a Governor who has almost killed this states economy by continuously raises taxes making it difficult for businesses to move or operate here thus affecting our states unemployment.

/hijack Let's not forget this is the governor who decided to allow an overturning of law which let him to pick a person to fill the vacant seat left by Kennedy. Somewhere around four years ago, Kennedy overthrew the law to not allow the governor to appoint that position, because that's crazy talk, but to hold a special election instead.

Sounds like this guy doesn't make opinions that don't help him out.

/hijack

Private company lays off employees. Hires cheaper employees. Got it.

Governor is unhappy about private company laying off employees. Got it.

Governor boycotts hotel in the hopes to destroy said hotel's business, thus putting the new, cheaper employees out of work, as well as the folks who were already laid off. Don't get it.

If, god forbid, I'm ever forced to visit the land of slobbering Barney, I'll be sure and stay at a Hyatt.

So do the housekeepers from the Georgia Company commute in from Atlanta every day, or are these illegals from the former Soviet Republic.

Either way, If the state is that hard up for money, they should be parking their employees at the Motel 6 instead of the Hyatt.

The next thing you know the people of Massachusetts will be forced to flounder with every meal.

Snowdoggie wrote: So do the housekeepers from the Georgia Company commute in from Atlanta every day, or are these illegals from the former Soviet Republic. Either way, If the state is that hard up for money, they should be parking their employees at the Motel 6 instead of the Hyatt.

Probably immigrants, legal or otherwise, because we don't have any regular 'mericans down here working in hotels any way.

Type Q wrote: The next thing you know the people of Massachusetts will be forced to flounder with every meal.

But does the governor like fish sticks?

What a gay fish that guy is!

zoomx2 wrote: While Hyatt had every right to reduce costs they also have an obligation to the employees let go.

Hyatt has no obligation to them beyond their last paycheck.

Also - to the maid about to download her 4th rug rat - keep your damn legs closed. Maids can't afford 4 kids and it isn't anyone elses job to raise them but yours.

DILYSI Dave wrote:

zoomx2 wrote: While Hyatt had every right to reduce costs they also have an obligation to the employees let go.

Hyatt has no obligation to them beyond their last paycheck. Also - to the maid about to download her 4th rug rat - keep your damn legs closed. Maids can't afford 4 kids and it isn't anyone elses job to raise them but yours.

Why do you hate brown people.

DILYSI Dave wrote: ...Also - to the maid about to download her 4th rug rat - keep your damn legs closed. Maids can't afford 4 kids and it isn't anyone elses job to raise them but yours.

Well played sir!!

I especially like how you point completely covers all the aspects of the argument in question in simple and concise manner. Did you compete on the debate team at school? I suspect you were the star!

aircooled wrote:

DILYSI Dave wrote: ...Also - to the maid about to download her 4th rug rat - keep your damn legs closed. Maids can't afford 4 kids and it isn't anyone elses job to raise them but yours.

Well played sir!! I especially like how you point completely covers all the aspects of the argument in question in simple and concise manner. Did you compete on the debate team at school? I suspect you were the star!

You KNOW how those damn Georgians are. Always having more kids than they can afford, driving those cars with 24 inch rims and cooking all that nasty smelling food.

As a Georgian, AND a man with a family who are minorities (brown), AND a man with 5 kids, some of the (assumed) sarcasm in the last few posts is getting DANGEROUSLY close to being grossly offensive.

zoomx2 wrote: I guess this is where I disagree. I think that the Gov is standing up for his constituents.

Which constituents?

Certainly NOT the tax paying, revenue generating, tourism promoting, hotel corporation constituents.

Certainly NOT the voting populace taxpayer constituents who hired him to uphold the constitution of the State.

Certainly NOT the legally operating, tax paying subcontract company constituent just trying to earn a living and support the families of its employees.

Certainly NOT the additional respectable, sales tax producing, job creating other corporation in the state constituents who will now have a difficult time making a profit and staying in business, unless they are prepared to overpay their lazy workers or risk pressure from the overbearing government.

Oh, you meant the overpayed underworked lazy former worker who can't seem to get their job done at a rate reasonable enough to prevent outsourcing, but might vote for him later constituents!

Nice.

Snowdoggie wrote:

DILYSI Dave wrote:

zoomx2 wrote: While Hyatt had every right to reduce costs they also have an obligation to the employees let go.

Hyatt has no obligation to them beyond their last paycheck. Also - to the maid about to download her 4th rug rat - keep your damn legs closed. Maids can't afford 4 kids and it isn't anyone elses job to raise them but yours.

Why do you hate brown people.

Why is it I get dragged into every one of these conversations?

Can't we all just get along?

SVreX wrote: As a Georgian, AND a man with a family who are minorities (brown), AND a man with 5 kids, some of the (assumed) sarcasm in the last few posts is getting DANGEROUSLY close to being grossly offensive.

Ol' Vlad Putin thinks all of you Georgians are grossly offensive. And you never want to go into a Georgian Ghetto at night. You people throw fish!!

SVreX wrote:

zoomx2 wrote: I guess this is where I disagree. I think that the Gov is standing up for his constituents.

I see that I am pretty much alone in my argument here on why it is a good thing that he standing up for the rights of the workers, but I'll explain why in more detail. First, as said before and mentioned by the Gov. the problem is HOW the workers were fired, not why. This is the real basis of my support for him. It is the purpose of a corporation to supply a product/service and to make money doing that. Cost savings measures are a part of that. What Hyatt did was a cost saving measure pure and simple. An ethical one though? Seems to be the consensus here that it was. But the conversation has seemed to turn against the workers who publicized their plight by calling them many wrong things and stereotyping them. But since you asked I will answer.... Which constituents? Certainly NOT the tax paying, revenue generating, tourism promoting, hotel corporation constituents. No you're right, probably not those. but since most of those people are travelers and don't live in MA, they're probably not his constituents either. Certainly NOT the voting populace taxpayer constituents who hired him to uphold the constitution of the State. I don't see how this is a constitutional issue here. If you are referring to other recent acts of the Gov. than this point is moot. Apples to apples, not apples to mangos..... Certainly NOT the legally operating, tax paying subcontract company constituent just trying to earn a living and support the families of its employees. You're right also that the subcontract company (Hospitality Services) is a legal company. But I do disagree on the supporting a family part. It is reported that of the employees let go the average wage and length of service was $13-15 an hr and 15-20 years. The new wage being paid is $8.00 an hr. First and foremost making $15.00 and hr when you have worked somewhere 15 years is not unreasonable, I don't care if it is as a maid or a hooker. I have been to Boston and could not fathom trying to live on a wage like that. I seriously doubt that the replacements at $8.00 will be able to either. This low wage/no benefit culture is why we have so many people lining up to suckle at the government teat and why the government will be able to ram a health care bill through. At a time when we need to move more off welfare we also need the jobs to accommodate that. All Hyatt did here was take one group of employees out of the system and replaced them with different ones. Certainly NOT the additional respectable, sales tax producing, job creating other corporation in the state constituents who will now have a difficult time making a profit and staying in business, unless they are prepared to overpay their lazy workers or risk pressure from the overbearing government. I have no love for the Pritzker family. They have made a mockery of our tax system for years by refusing to pay their fair share and then boasted about it. With the entire family hovering in the high 100 to mid 200's on the Forbes list and INDIVIDUAL net worth's between 1.5 and 2.3 BILLION dollars each I feel that they can pay a living wage to the employees new and old. The CEO also made a cool $1.8 mil last year. While I'm not trying to say the maid is as important to Hyatt as the CEO, a decent wage is not too much to ask for. Oh, you meant the overpayed underworked lazy former worker who can't seem to get their job done at a rate reasonable enough to prevent outsourcing, but might vote for him later constituents! Now I am torn on replying to this comment as this seems very stereotypical to say something like that. Nobody knows the work ethic of these former employees or if the job they did was substandard. These also were not union employees. Do the names of the employees in the story that suggests minority and therefore lazy? I know better than to think of that from you but comments like this are why stereotypes don't go away. Dave's comment was even more offensive as I don't recall the pregnant maid asking anybody to take care of her kids but her. Since when is it illegal to have children and want to provide for them. Again we don't know her situation, she very well be married and have a husband who needs her to work to make ends meet. Nice. No, sad.

OMG.... a public company that wants to have strong profits and a good share price....

but what we need, because we want our economy to recover, is a weak bloated business that keeps high cost low skill people around... Thats exactly what we need..

this is america folks.. perform or die..