Anchorage – The Sheraton Anchorage Hotel & Spa (the “Hotel”) has asked a federal court judge to compel the National Labor Relations Board (the NLRB”) to do its job and fairly investigate the labor dispute between the Hotel and Local 878 Unite HERE (the “Union”).
The petition, filed in federal district court in Anchorage on September 23rd, describes what the Hotel believes is unfair treatment by the NLRB, as well as favoritism shown by the NLRB to the Union. The Hotel cites the fact that all of the Union’s charges against the Hotel have been expeditiously investigated and sent to a hearing before an Administrative Law Judge while the Hotel’s charges against the Union have been dropped, suspended or kept under investigation for months on end.
“The rights of the Hotel are being damaged by the Board’s one-sided investigations,” said Mary Villarreal, spokesperson for the Hotel’s management company. “We simply want a fair investigation and a fair hearing.”
The Hotel’s lawsuit asks the federal Judge to order the Regional Director of the NLRB in Seattle to investigate the Hotel’s charges against the Union, drop charges that have already been resolved, and hold a free and fair election among the employees to determine if they want to be represented by a Union, or not.
On October 21st, the Hotel will argue to federal district court Judge Timothy Burgess that the Board could easily avoid the scheduled ten-week long hearings now being held about the Union’s allegations by simply giving the Hotel associates a chance to vote on whether they want to have a Union at all.
“A majority of the Hotel associates have signed a petition stating that they no longer want to be represented by the Union,” said Villarreal. “It is the associates who have a right to choose in this matter—not management and not the Union. Let’s listen to what they want.”
