Bay City News

MONDAY MIDDAY NEWS ROUNDUP
08/27/07 11:45 PDT

The Emeryville City Council will hold a hearing tonight on an appeal by Woodfin Suites Hotel of an order that it pay a large sum of back wages to current and former employees who allege they were fired in retaliation for demanding that the hotel comply with the city's living wage law.

A lengthy labor saga at the hotel began last Dec. 11 when the hotel put 21 immigrant workers on two-week paid leave after the worker said they wanted to enforce the city's living wage ordinance, which was passed in 2005. It said it would fire the workers at the end of the month if they didn't produce documentation that they were legal workers.

But on Dec. 21 a judge issued an injunction preventing Woodfin from firing the workers. However, that injunction expired in April.

Earlier this year, the city of Emeryville conducted an investigation of the workers' claims that they were retaliated against and that they are owed a substantial amount of back wages.

In June, City Manager Patrick O'Keeffe ruled in favor of the workers and ordered Woodfin to pay back wages.

A group called the East Bay Alliance for a Sustainable Economy, which is supporting the workers, says the hotel owes $250,000 in back wages. But Woodfin general manager Hugh MacIntosh said today that O'Keeffe only ordered the hotel to pay $81,000 in back wages

MacIntosh said the hotel is appealing O'Keeffe's ruling because it contends that the reason it fired 21 workers is that they don't have legitimate Social Security numbers, not because of retaliation.

MacIntosh said five of the workers who were suspended returned to work after resolving their documentation issues.

He said the remaining workers who didn't resolve their documentation issues were fired in April after the judge's injunction expired.

The East Bay Alliance for a Sustainable Economy says tonight's hearing is the first appeal under Emeryville's hotel living wage ordinance.

The group will hold a rally outside Emeryville City Hall at 1333 Park Ave. at 6:15 p.m. today. The City Council's appeal hearing is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m.

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