GLBT leaders side with labor union to boycott restaurants owned by GLBT ally

[Omaha Steve]

http://transitional.pww.org/article/view/15731/

Author: Rick Braatz
People's Weekly World Newspaper, 05/22/09 12:36

Reposted from http://www.gaylesbiantimes.com
Local government officials and GLBT activists are siding with UNITE HERE Local 30’s boycott of Old Town San Diego Historic Park’s restaurants Fiesta de Reyes and Barra Barra, owned by GLBT ally Chuck Ross, who says the GLBT community is turning against him.

“We talk a lot about coalition building and this is how it’s done. When the LGBT community stands in solidarity with working people for living wages and health benefits and the union stands in solidarity with us for marriage equality, then both of our movements are much stronger,” said former City Council candidate Stephen Whitburn.
Ross spokesperson Paul O’Sullivan, however, contends that “They are asking the LGBT community to fight its own supporters.”

UNITE HERE Local 30, which worked with marriage-equality organizations on the Manchester Hyatt boycott, announced its boycott of the two Old Town restaurants on April 29 because Chuck Ross and Delaware North Companies, the latter of which had been concessionaire of the two restaurants since 2005, contracted to lay off all past employees and reopen the establishments under Ross as non-union.

“The issue here is that Chuck Ross is running his restaurants non-union that were previously union,” said UNITE HERE Local 30 spokesperson Daniel Rottenstreich.

New York-based Delaware North Companies had been operating the two restaurants under different names, along with the shopping plaza in Old Town where they have been located since 2005. But the company had been losing money. So North decided to transfer the concession to Ross last December. The transfer, authorized by the State of California Department of Parks and Recreation, which owns Old Town, contained an amendment to the existing concession contract. That amendment, obtained by the Gay & Lesbian Times, states that new concessionaire Chuck Ross, “has no obligation to hire any of its past employees.”

“Our intention is to start over as non-union, with a new staff for the new business we are opening. With the economics of this deal, and the troubles this operation has had, it’s not financially feasible to keep this as it is,” Ross told the San Diego Union Tribune last February.

Once Ross became the concessionaire of the two restaurants and shopping plaza, he decided to operate only the two restaurants but lease the plaza shops.

FULL story at link.

[pleah]

1. K&R Go for it! n/t

[Wednesdays]

2. K&R, although this is almost purely a labor issue rather than GLBT

We've seen that sometimes gay and lesbian brothers and sisters can stray to the wrong side of politics...Log Cabin Republicans, for example.

:kick:

[Omaha Steve]

3. I learned about GLBT & the Teamsters boycotting Coors just last night

We watched Milk last night for the first time. It was his birthday to boot.

[AVO]

4. Chuck Ross can't buy us off!

We need to hold our "allies" accountable just as we hold our "enemies". Chuck Ross may give money to Marriage Equality and AIDS benefits, but that's just the right thing to do. He didn't do anybody a favor that he can now dangle over our heads and buy off our loyalty. We are not that naive, and quite frankly it is offensive that his PR team is trying claim that there is such a thing as a "gay issue" to bait the LGBT community. LGBT people work in all industries, we live in all walks of life and come from all socioeconomic backgrounds. If Chuck Ross thinks that our attention will be steered away from his disgusting & discriminatory union-busting tactics because he's trying to turn the conversation into one about "gay issues", he is sorely wrong. I'm glad to see that someone here mentioned the movie MILK and the historic Teamster/LGBT Coors Boycott. To this day, the Coors Family still feels obliged to donate tons of money to LGBT organizations. We have power as consumers and we can stand up for what is right and make a real impact. Needless job losses affect all of us; equality under the law affects all of us. Our struggles for LGBT equality & economic justice are connected whether Chuck Ross likes it or not.

[Omaha Steve]

5. Welcome to the DU....

And the Labor Forum.