Update: we released the Union’s statement to yogis, last night.

We received the following statement from Elana Maggal of Yoga Journal events, and thought to pass it along. Here’s a blog re the question of the Hyatt dispute. ~

We’re here in SF—we’ll have (much) more tomorrow—talking with all sides. ~ ed.

Yoga Journal’s San Francisco conference will be held at the Hyatt Regency Embarcadero, January 17-21.

We are aware of information being distributed regarding labor disputes with the hotel chain. We have researched the matter fully and come to understand that the workers at the Hyatt in San Francisco are not on strike. There is, however, an ongoing labor management dispute between the Hyatt Corporation and union organization UniteHere. The hotel and its workers have reached agreements on wages and benefits but other issues, including those around union membership voting rules across the Hyatt hotel chain, remain unresolved.

Though the workers at the Hyatt in San Francisco are not on strike, UniteHere has reached out to many organizations holding events at the hotel and urged them to change their plans.

Weighing other possible alternatives, Yoga Journal has looked into moving the conference from the Hyatt, which has hosted the event for 10 years, but no other hotel in the city can accommodate the large number of attendees on or around the scheduled conference dates. We will continue to weigh other options for the future.

After careful examination and discussion, Yoga Journal has decided to honor its contract and the commitments made to our conference presenters, attendees, and to the workers whose livelihoods depend on hotel business.

Yoga Journal supports the negotiations between the Hyatt and its unions and hopes that the remaining issues are resolved fairly and quickly.

For more information:

The Hyatt Corporation Website

The Unite Here website and Hotel Workers Rising website 

~

Ed: Kate Bartolotta