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On February, 3, less than 48 hours before the Super Bowl kick-off, hundreds hotel workers and community allies participated in a protest outside the Hyatt Regency Indianapolis, where non-union hotel workers have been organizing for years. The protest called attention to Hyatt’s abuse of subcontracted workers and the poor working conditions that hotel workers endure in a non-union city like Indianapolis. Hotels like Hyatt were slated to make millions of dollars the week of the Super Bowl, but Indianapolis hotel workers are among the lowest paid in the nation.
Notably, protesters were joined by DeMaurice Smith, Executive Director of the NFL Players Association, and Maggie Lewis, the President of the Indianapolis City-County Council. Both made an unequivocal call to boycott Hyatt.
Said DeMaurice Smith, on the NFL Players Association dealings with Hyatt: “As an organization, we will not spend our money there, we will not eat their food, we will not sleep in their rooms, and letters will go out to every player of the National Football League, telling them to spend their money somewhere else.” He added, “The proudest moment that I’ll have while I’m in this city, is standing right here with you.”
See video footage of DeMaurice Smith’s speech
To see pictures from the action, check out the Hyatt Hurts Facebook Page.
One of the event organizers also appeared on the Keith Olbermann show “Countdown” hours after the show.
