Workers at Trade Hotel across from Fiserv Forum begin effort to form union
Workers at The Trade Hotel, across the street from Fiserv Forum, have announced their intention to form a union.
On Thursday, Milwaukee Area Service and Hospitality Workers Union sent a letter to NCG Hospitality, which manages The Trade Hotel, demanding the company recognize the union as the collective bargaining agent for the workers and begin negotiations of a contract.
The proposed union includes 79 current employees in housekeeping, food and beverage, and back of the house workers. It would not include workers at the restaurant Il Cervo.
The union also sent a "labor relations code of conduct" for NCG Hospitality to sign which states "the employer will take a neutral approach to unionization of employees."
"The employer will not take any action nor make any statement that directly states or implies any opposition by the employer to employees forming a collective bargaining unit or to employees joining a labor organization," the document reads.
The document goes on to say "the union agrees not to disparage the employer while conducting its organizing."
Union president Peter Rickman signed the document on Thursday. It's unclear if the company has signed or plans to sign the document.
However some workers on Friday received a unsigned note on The Trade Hotel letterhead saying, among other things, "While NCG Hospitality respects your right to vote for a union, or to continue without a union, we do believe a union would dramatically change our relationship and our culture."
MASH responded to the letter stating it is "classic union-busting clichés meant to confuse and mislead workers."
"A union and a contract would change things for the better. We would be able to meet with the company as equals. The culture would be based upon mutual respect and a document we’ve written together," the union said in a statement. "A clear, strong majority of us signed union cards because we want to balance the power, secure our rights, and negotiate a contract. Let’s move on and get to the bargaining table."
In response to a request for comment, NCG Hospitality sent a statement to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel saying:
"The Trade Milwaukee received the notice yesterday, and NCG Hospitality, as the property owner and operator, is committed to working with our Team Members at The Trade and responding to the notice. We respect the rights of our Team Members to explore unionization and are committed to ensuring that all Team Members are offered fair compensation, benefits, and treatment. Throughout our 45-year history, NCG Hospitality has and will continue to prioritize the well-being of our Team Members as we strongly believe at our core that if we take care of our Team Members, they will take care of our guests and the communities in which we live and work."
The union effort has gained the support of 14 Milwaukee County Board supervisors, which sent a letter to NCG Hospitality saying it should recognize the union.
"You came to Milwaukee and built and marketed the Trade Hotel with nods to the history and values of our community," the letter reads. "Milwaukee is a union town from the factories and foundries to the building trades – and the hospitality industry. We call on you to respect the Trade workers’ union majority, recognize yourself in the proud tradition of union employers in Milwaukee and recognize the union, and bargain a first contract without union-busting that has never been accepted in our community."
MASH represents the workers at Fiserv Forum and have fought, and won, a $15 an hour minimum wage from the Milwaukee Bucks. The union has also been heavily involved with the efforts to organize venues owned by the Pabst Theater Group.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Workers at Trade Hotel near Fiserv Forum begin effort to form union
