DAVID SHUSTER: Two days ago, Indiana governor Mitch Daniels officially made his state the 23rd to pass "right to work" legislation, laws that have nothing to do with work and everything to do with defunding unions.
In our number-one story — with the most-watched sporting event in the world occurring in Indianapolis on Sunday, a coalition of organized labor and Occupy protesters have an ideal platform to voice their displeasure.
After a partisan 28-22 vote passing the bill, and then the signature by Governor Mitch Daniels, three thousand protesters took to the streets to express their outrage. They marched from the capitol building directly to Lucas Oil Stadium, home of Sunday's Super Bowl.
While some Hoosiers have tried to argue that the Super Bowl is not the place to make a statement about labor, there are many people who would disagree. Namely, the people who are actually playing in the game.
Today, NFL and Indiana labor leaders joined together to protest possible layoffs at the Hyatt Regency in downtown Indianapolis. The hotel stands to make millions from the influx of people for the Super Bowl, but it has announced plans to cut jobs. Coincidentally, the decision to terminate employees came days after a number of local hotel workers filed a federal lawsuit claiming wage theft and other violations.
Occupy protesters have also decided — have also descended on Indianapolis, and plan to Occupy the Super Bowl in a show of solidarity with the Indiana labor unions.
But while some lawmakers and NFL execs fear protesters will interfere with the game itself, Indiana AFL-CIO President Nancy Guyott said that there are no plans to interrupt the game: "While we understand the anger and frustration of working Hoosiers over this disgraceful passage of the so-called "right to work" bill, the appropriate outlet will be at the ballot box, not the Super Bowl."
All of this puts a great deal of pressure on Governor Daniels, who was looking at the Super Bowl as a chance to raise the profile as Indianapolis, a city once known as "India-no place."
Daniels has warned that any activism damaging the Super Bowl will be akin to giving Indiana a black eye. Governor, it would be no worse than what your administration has already done to the Hoosier state.
Joining us now is Mike Biskar, an organizer for the Unite Here Union who helped lead the protest at the Hyatt hotel. Mike, thanks for your time tonight.
MIKE BISKAR: Thanks for having me.
SHUSTER: Are these protests going on right now simply because of the platform the Super Bowl presents, or is this something that would be happening anyway?
BISKAR: Well, you know, these hotels like the Hyatt Corporation are slated to make millions of dollars during the Super Bowl. And yet, Indianapolis hotel workers are some of the lowest paid in the nation.
And what's worse, just a couple of weeks ago, as you mentioned before — what's worse than that is that these hotel workers, they actually, the Hyatt terminated the contract with their subcontracted workers. And this happened just ten days after, as you had said, a group of workers had filed a historic lawsuit that could be worth up to $10 million in back wages for these people.
And so, we felt it was important to take to the streets today and to let the Hyatt know that the community is angry about their recent decision to throw these workers out. I mean, these are the women who clean the rooms, who cook the food, who wash the dishes. And we think that sends a bad message to our community, so that's why we're out there today.
SHUSTER: I've actually stayed at that Hyatt in downtown Indianapolis. It is obviously one of the most popular hotels right there. It doesn't have a cash-flow problem. How has the Hyatt justified what it’s trying to do?
BISKAR: Well, you know, the Hyatt is one of the largest hotel corporations in the world. And yet, part of the problem is that, here in Indianapolis, there are currently no unionized hotels. It is the largest American city without a single unionized hotel. And compared to other similar-sized Midwestern cities — where workers do have union representation, that make $2, $3, $5 more an hour with better insurance.
And so, part of the problem is that here in Indianapolis, without any union representation in any of the hotels, the Hyatt is able to get away with quite a bit, and so they've been really able to run wild and subcontract out the jobs of these folks without any sort of sense of accountability.
SHUSTER: Tell me about the interest of the NFL Players Association and why they appeared with you today.
BISKAR: It was wonderful. You know, of all days, DeMaurice Smith, the Executive Director of the NFL Players Association, he came out on his birthday. He walked the picket line with us. It was tremendous to have them out there supporting the hotel workers. You know, they've been really strong allies for a number of years now with Hyatt workers, here locally and around the country. And they're a very high-profile organization, so, obviously, we think it sends a very powerful message to the Hyatt Corporation.
In particular, DeMaurice spoke and said that, as of today, they would be canceling any future events. He would not be eating, meeting, or sleeping at any Hyatt hotels around the world. We think that sends a very powerful message to them.
SHUSTER: Was it a message that the Hyatt received? Was there any response from them?
BISKAR: As of now, no. We have not heard of any response. But we do think it sends a very powerful message.
SHUSTER: Agreed. Would this sort of worker neglect be happening if these workers in Indianapolis were allowed to unionize?
BISKAR: Absolutely not. You know, as I said, this is the largest American city without a single union hotel. And we look at similar-sized cities, where workers do have union representation in the Midwest — they're making more money, they have better insurance.
And it’s really not just an economic issue. We also find that it's a health and safety issue. The housekeepers here at the Indianapolis Hyatt can clean up to 30 rooms in a day, whereas their unionized counterparts are cleaning up to 16 rooms in a day in Chicago. And frankly, recently, Indiana OSHA filed and found over $50,000 of health and safety violations against the Hyatt and their subcontractors.
So no, we think that the answer is that if there was unionization here in the hotels, we would not find these same kinds of working conditions.
SHUSTER: Mike, what's the atmosphere in Indianapolis? What does it feel like and taste like tonight? I mean, I know that, you know, I grew up in Indiana. I know that there's a huge amount of excitement over the Super Bowl, and the Fan Fest and everything else.
And yet, the timing of Daniels signing this bill this week, the reaction that sparked and the sort of clash — how is it all playing out?
BISKAR: Well, you know, I think that for us in the Indianapolis hotel industry, you know, "right to work for less" bill is obviously something that's going to be terrible for working people here in Indiana. And you know, there's been a billion tax dollars invested in this Indianapolis hospitality industry.
But there is a promise of good jobs that was supposed to come with that money. And, because there's no union representation in the hotels, we have terrible jobs. The worst of the worst here in Indiana, and frankly, I think that this recent push for "right to work," really what it's doing is — it's trying to bring unionized industries down in Indiana down to the level where the hospitality workers have been at already.
SHUSTER: And what does it say that the state — Indiana — is willing to spend so much money to bring the Super Bowl there, but basically nothing to protect the workers who serve the food, who clean up the rooms, and et cetera and et cetera?
BISKAR: I think what it says is that just because we give our tax dollars to these companies doesn't mean that they're automatically going to create good jobs, that we have to hold them accountable. Companies like Hyatt, we have to hold them accountable, and if we don't, we see that they run wild.
One thing that was wonderful was that the newly-elected president of the Indianapolis city council, Maggie Lewis, also joined us out there today. And she also is honoring the boycott of the Hyatt. And we hope that other city officials will do the same.
SHUSTER: Mike Biskar, organizer for the Unite Here Union. Mike, thanks, and have a great weekend. We appreciate it.
BISKAR: All right. Thanks.
