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For Immediate Release
March 30, 2005
Julius de Vera, 831-229-2449
375-2246

Chavez Day Rally at Monterey Bay Travelodge

Monterey. Dozens of hotel workers and community allies will celebrate Cesar Chavez Day just where the late union leader might have expected to be honored: on the picket-line. Organized by UNITE HERE Local 483, the demonstration will protest the actions of the Monterey Bay Travelodge owner, Kilsoo Seo, who has eliminated the health insurance and pension plans of his 13 Latino employees, while freezing their hourly wages at $8.84.

The Chavez Day Rally will be held Thursday, March 31, from 4:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. in front of the Travelodge at 2030 North Fremont Street in Monterey.

Juana Enriquez, Travelodge housekeeper and recent recipient of the 27th Assembly District Woman of the Year award, said, “Cesar Chavez fought for people like us—hard-working, low-income, Mexican American people. He helped people like me get the courage to stand up for workers’ rights. Tomorrow, we will all be thinking of him and how we can continue his important work.”

Local 483 Secretary-Treasurer, Leonard O’Neill, recalled a visit from Chavez to the union’s office in Pacific Grove, “It was definitely one of our union’s most memorable and inspiring moments to be sitting and strategizing with one of America’s greatest labor and civil rights leaders.” O’Neill added, “The UFW [United Farm Workers] slogan under his leadership, ‘Si se Puede,’—or ‘Yes, We can,’--has become the battle cry of the entire labor movement. Tomorrow we will take that to the [Monterey Bay] Travelodge picket-line.”

This rally marks the 8th month of public protests at the hotel—drawing over 1,400 participants in total--since July 29, 2004. Without a contract for more than 15 months now, the employees were hit especially hard last fall when Mr. Seo implemented his demands to eliminate employee and family health insurance entirely, leaving the workers and their 19 children without health care coverage. Hotel employees at the Monterey Bay Travelodge have been members of UNITE HERE Local 483 for over 20 years and, until Seo’s actions, had health insurance and pension plans.

Media Visuals: Marchers with colorful picket signs and slogans by large “Travelodge” sign, hotel workers in uniform, children, large union banner, placards with Cesar Chavez images and quotations.

For more written information please see the website www.BoycottMontereyBayTravelodge.info .

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