Their offense? While they were off duty on Feb. 2, they stood outside the Sheraton, passing out fliers to potential customers about a union-sponsored boycott of the hotel. The boycott began three months ago after Sheraton management imposed a heavier work load and more expensive family health insurance coverage.
The boycott -- one of two at downtown Anchorage hotels -- asks that potential guests not eat, sleep or meet there until the boycott is over.
Dudek and her union, UNITE HERE, say the Sheraton firings were illegal retaliation. They cite federal labor law that says workers have the right to hand out union literature at their workplace when they are off-duty.
"I hope we shall overcome this and get our jobs back," said Dudek, who said she was a food server at the hotel until getting suspended two weeks ago and terminated on Wednesday. She is a shop steward for Local 878 of UNITE HERE, a national union of hospitality, garment and airport service workers.
The Sheraton's general manager did not return calls for comment on Friday. But the company has told its workers, on a paper attached to their paychecks this week, that the hotel has lost $250,000 since the boycott began, according to two fired employees who got the check.
Among those joining the union boycott at the Sheraton is gubernatorial candidate Ethan Berkowitz, a former Democratic lawmaker who said Friday it led him to cancel his involvement in a Feb. 4 economic summit hosted by radio talk-show host Dan Fagan at the Sheraton. Berkowitz was scheduled to speak at the summit.
UNITE filed charges against the Sheraton with the National Labor Relations Board on Thursday. UNITE requested an injunction against the hotel, asking that the four employees be reinstated in their jobs.
The NLRB is already reviewing another UNITE case involving the Hilton Anchorage, where workers are also upset about heavier workloads and changes to their compensation.
Hilton Anchorage workers are also asking potential hotel customers to boycott their employer. One Hilton worker said Friday that some of them also got in hot water with Hilton staff for passing out literature at their workplace but were not fired.
"They told us we had to leave the premises," said Vickie Castro, one of the Hilton employees. "They even called the cops," she said.
She was one of about 40 union members and supporters who joined UNITE and three of the four fired Sheraton workers for a noon sidewalk press conference outside the NLRB office downtown on Friday.
NLRB staff in Anchorage referred a reporter to the regional office in Seattle.
"What we will be doing now is investigating the allegations, taking testimony from the four individuals, seeking any additional evidence, and of course asking the employer to provide its position," said Richard Ahearn, the NLRB regional director based in Seattle.
Other than the Sheraton case, Ahearn said he hasn't seen any other recent, significant labor charges brought against hotels in his district, which includes Alaska, Washington, Oregon and parts of Idaho and Montana.
The Sheraton Anchorage is managed by Remington Hotels and owned by the Ashford Hospitality Trust, both based in Dallas.
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