Local 96 Defeats Attempt to Subcontract Union Jobs

January 15, 2009 - Members of Local 96 at the Hilton Hotel in East Brunswick recently achieved an important victory against the subcontracting of union jobs. Last Summer, management at the Hilton East Brunswick fired all three members of the night cleaning department, replacing them with temporary workers from a subcontracted cleaning firm.

Local 96 fought back, arguing that our union contract prohibits employers from displacing union members by hiring temporary contract workers. This essential component of our union contract ensures that employers can not erode union standards by slowly outsourcing all union departments to outside employers, who typically provides much lower wage and benefit levels than what union members have been able to win.

At the Hilton East Brunswick, Local 96 achieved the guarantee that hotel management would immediately reinstate two full-time, permanent night cleaning positions. The hotel also agreed to dismiss the outside cleaning firm they hired. When the economy picks up, additional night leaning positions will also be full-time, union jobs.

Congratulations to Local 96 on this significant victory!