Employee Issues: What to Do When Labor Strikes

Gary Tufel -- Tradeshow Week, 1/9/2006

With hotel labor contracts set to expire this year in Boston, Chicago, Honolulu, Los Angeles, New York, Toronto, and Monterey and Sacramento, Calif., a strike is a distinct possibility. In light of that, Contributing Editor Gary Tufel asked event managers how they would deal with a strike if it coincided with meetings they had planned in particular cities. Would they cancel or reschedule the event, ask attendees to cross the picket line or change their plans in another way?

"We would hold our event. In fact, we faced this situation in the fall of 2004 at the Hilton San Francisco when Unite Here was on strike. Although we do not rely on conventions for revenue, canceling would indirectly affect those areas that are revenue generators, thus this was not an option.

"Our organization shies away from politics, but in this particular situation we felt that it was an issue between the hotel and its employees. The hotel told us about the possibility even before it happened and provided periodic updates that reassured us that our group would be well taken care of. This provided us with the information we needed to keep our attendees informed and help manage their expectations and any rumors they had heard."

Renee J. Lewis, Director, event services, American Concrete Institute

"Our response to that situation would be driven in large part by the interest of the association involved. Some groups may have strong feelings about crossing a picket line while others may not. Also, the extent that a strike would impact all services, including those of other vendors involved with the event, would need to be weighed and communicated to the affected organization in order to make the best decision for all concerned."

Michael Payne, Executive vice president and managing director, SmithBucklin

"It depends on the situation. We might have 40 to 50 hotels in our block in certain cities. For facilities, it depends on the city and the union, because in a right-to-work state like Florida, it would be easier to get away with crossing a picket line in Orlando than in a heavily unionized city like Philadelphia.

"It would also depend on how close in time to the meeting the strike happened. We would certainly try to make the meeting happen."

James Donovan, Director, Council on ADA Sessions, American Dental Assn.

"I would start with a detailed conversation with the property to understand what will be affected and how the hotel is responding to this situation from a staffing and service perspective.

"With that knowledge, we would go to our clients to advise them of the situation with a recommendation based on their attendees, the risks associated with a decision in any direction and other options. From there, it would be a joint decision about what is in the best interest of the client event."

Gregg Talley, President and CEO, Talley Management Group