Bill Clinton drawing heat for Sunday speech at Manchester Hyatt

Who knew former President Bill Clinton was going to be in San Diego this Sunday? I didn’t.

That is, until I just received an announcement jointly released by the union Unite Here and the anti-Prop. 8 group Californians Against Hate, urging Clinton not to give his scheduled speech at the Manchester Grand Hyatt, which reportedly will be given to a political action committee, the International Franchise Association. The Hyatt is the subject of a boycott because hotelier Doug Manchester was a major donor to the anti-gay-marriage Prop. 8.

Clinton’s speech has drawn the attention of Cleve Jones, the aide to the late Harvey Milk who was played in the movie Milk by Emile Hirsch.

Here’s the full announcement:

SAN DIEGO – Today a coalition of prominent gay leaders and union heads called on President Clinton to move a paid speech scheduled for this Sunday because its site, the Manchester Grand Hyatt, is the subject of an ongoing boycott.

The boycott of the Manchester Hyatt in San Diego was launched in July 2008 in response to hotel owner Doug Manchester’s $125,000 contribution in early seed money to the Proposition 8 campaign and onerous working conditions for housekeepers at the hotel.  Proposition 8, which banned same sex marriages in California, was passed by California voters last November.

Supporters of the boycott have also released an open letter to President Clinton that can be viewed at www.moveclintonspeech.info.

“We regret having to publicly ask President Clinton to honor our boycott, but we felt we didn’t really have any other options,” said Cleve Jones founder of the NAMES Project/AIDS Memorial Quilt.  “This is a serious issue for the gay community.  Our rights were trampled in the last election in large part due to contributions from Doug Manchester and inaction by Hyatt.  This is also a serious ongoing labor dispute.  It is imperative to the gay community that President Clinton be on the right side of this boycott.”

The letter was signed by Cleve Jones, San Diego labor leaders Lorena Gonzalez and Brigette Browning, openly gay San Diego City Councilmember Todd Gloria, San Diego Pride Executive Director Ron deHarte, Californians Against Hate Executive Director Fred Karger, Courage Campaign Chair Rick Jacobs, and DNC member and San Diego County Democratic Party Chair Jess Durfee.  An excerpt from the letter reads:

The boycott of the Manchester Hyatt is an ongoing labor dispute sanctioned by the California State AFL-CIO and the San Diego Labor Council.  It is also an issue of importance to the gay community and is endorsed by Equality California, San Diego Pride and others.  Neither labor nor the gay community can tolerate a hotel whose profits are used to take away equal rights from gay couples and create poor working conditions for women and immigrants.

We know that you are scheduled to speak to the International Franchise Association on February 15.  We respectfully ask you to move your speech to another location so you do not have to violate this boycott.  We regret to have to make this request, but many other individuals and groups have joined us, and we have every reason to believe that as of right now you are still planning on speaking at the Manchester Hyatt.

Since the campaign over Proposition 8 began there have been a number of calls for boycotts due to contributions for and against Proposition 8, but the boycott of the Manchester Hyatt has had particular staying power due to the alliance between the gay community and labor.  In December, the San Diego Business Journal reported that hotel officials estimated the boycott has cost the Manchester Hyatt $2.4 million.  Boycott organizers contend that estimate is low.

“We launched this boycott nearly nine months ago and have seen numerous individuals and groups from around the country honor our call,” said Jess Durfee, member of the Democratic National Committee and Chair of the San Diego County Democratic Party.  “Democrats understand that patronizing the Manchester Hyatt hurts workers, gays and lesbians.”

Among the groups that have honored the boycott by moving events out of the Manchester Hyatt are the American Association of Law Schools, the San Diego County Pension Fund, the San Diego Association of Realtors, California Nurses Association and the International Foundation of Employee Benefits.  Currently, controversy has engulfed California’s legal world over the California State Bar’s annual conference which is planned at the Manchester Hyatt.  The Beverly Hills, Los Angeles and San Francisco Bar Associations have urged the State Bar to honor the boycott.

Since it was learned that the hotel is for sale, labor unions have boycotted the hotel over poor working conditions, including a lack of job security for workers and an onerous workload for housekeepers.  The unions contend that with the hotel being marketed, workers are vulnerable to a wholesale firing under new ownership.  Housekeepers have long faced particularly difficult working conditions at the Manchester Hyatt, going so far as to picket in 2006 over a change in work rules that dramatically increased the number of rooms they must clean a day.  Manchester Hyatt housekeepers clean more rooms than housekeepers at other Hyatt hotels in the area.  In July the boycott was endorsed by the San Diego Labor Council.  The California Labor Federation AFL-CIO endorsed the boycott shortly thereafter.

“Public officials must lead by example,” said San Diego City Councilman Todd Gloria.  “I have refused to participate in any events at the Manchester Hyatt since the boycott began, and hope President Clinton respects the importance of this issue and moves his speech.”

A rally is planned for Sunday, February 15th from 11am to 1pm in front of the Manchester Hyatt.  Organizers are expecting large turnout from both the gay community and labor movement.

“Our members understand the value of this strong coalition between the gay community and labor,” said Lorena Gonzalez, Secretary-Treasurer/CEO of the San Diego Labor Council.  “Given his record of supporting workers and diversity, I hope President Clinton will stand with us by honoring the boycott of the Manchester Grand Hyatt.”

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