NLRB: Trump Violated The Labor Rights Of His Own Hotel Workers

The National Labor Relations Board has found that Donald Trump violated the federal labor rights of his employees. The Republican presidential nominee refused to enter into collective bargaining with workers at his Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas after they unionized earlier this year.

A representative from UNITE HERE – the union representing the hotel employees – said:

“Mr. Trump should accept the federal government’s order to negotiate and treat his workers with respect. Mr. Trump is breaking federal law and Trump Hotel Las Vegas is operating illegally.”

When the employees began organizing last year, Trump hired a union-busting consultancy, Lupe Cruz and Associates (LCA). LCA bills itself as a specialist in “union avoidance” and has successfully crushed union organizing efforts at American Apparel, Conway (a trucking company), and some Hilton Hotels. Trump Las Vegas employees had to meet with LCA representatives so the company could discourage them from unionizing. Marisela Olvera, one of the hotel’s housekeepers, said:

“They intimidated us a lot. They pressured us a lot [to vote no]. They told us the union only wants our money, that if we supported the union we’d lose our jobs, that the company would put our names on a blacklist and no other hotels in Las Vegas would hire us. They told us to think of what our children would do if we were out of work. Everyone was very stressed. People were afraid.”

While the workers were afraid, their low pay and poor benefits encouraged them to overcome their fears and unionize. Wages at the Trump Las Vegas averaged $3 less per hour than those of employees at other Las Vegas hotels. Maria Jaramillo, another housekeeper at the hotel, said:

“We don’t get an [annual] raise, we have to pay for our [health] insurance, and we have no retirement. I’m not making enough to give my kids a better future.”

Trump has made his business experience the basis of his campaign. In June, for instance, he said:

“I will be the greatest jobs president that God ever created.”

Trump’s opposition to global trade earned him some initial points with unionized workers. But the hard line he took against UNITE HERE and revelations about his past labor violations caused this support to evaporate. A poll of Ohio union members found that 44 percent supported him in June of this year, but three months later, support had dropped to just 32 percent. All major labor unions have endorsed Trump’s Democratic opponent, Hillary Clinton.

Check out what AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka thinks about Trump:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y6HSmsD5sO4

Featured image from YouTube video.