Hyatt housekeepers in eight cities are expected to file complaints today with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, complaining of injuries they sustained on the job.
The complaints are being filed against the company by workers at 12 Hyatt properties, including four in Chicago, with the backing of Unite Here, the hotel workers union that has launched a campaign against the chain in an effort to lower the number of room housekeepers are expected to clean.
According to the union, room attendants are required to clean as many as 30 rooms a day, nearly double what is considered standard in the injury.
Chicago-based Hyatt has continually stated that it treats workers fairly and that their safety is a top priority for the chain.
The union has held up a study of hotel worker injuries at 50 U.S. hotels published earlier this year in the American Journal of Industrial Medicine as evidence that Hyatt housekeepers sustain the most injuries in the industry.
In the OSHA complaints, the union said they are asking to request a number of remedies to reduce injuries among housekeepers, such as swapping out flat sheets for fitted sheets to reduce injuries sustained from lifting beds, using long-handled mops and dusters instead of rags and reducing room quotas.
The complaints are being filed by workers in San Antonio, Chicago, San Francisco, Santa Clara, Los Angeles, Long Beach, Honolulu and Indianapolis. A national press conference has been scheduled for 1 p.m.
jwernau@tribune.com
