Union workers ask for boycott of one of Buffalo's largest hotels

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — Current and former unionized workers at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in downtown Buffalo are asking for a boycott of the hotel amid a yearlong fight for fair wages and a voice at the hotel.

Workers announced a union campaign at the Douglas Jemal-owned hotel in Fountain Plaza over a year ago. Workers have accused hotel leadership of union-busting campaigns, intimidation tactics, threats and firing workers.

According to the union, approximately 10 workers have been fired due to their involvement in the union. The National Labor Relations Board is looking into a few of them.

"Jemal still has a chance to do the right thing," said Luke Sills, who was among the workers who were fired. "Settle with the union, reinstate the workers and start bargaining. We really hope that he does that."

The workers are asking the public to cancel their reservations at the 396-room hotel and not stay there in the future. They are also reaching out to groups that have had conferences at the hotel in the past, telling them to not book there again. The union said that one group, the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, will not hold their 2028 conference at the hotel after having previously held it there in 2024.

Employers at the hotel watched their workers through surveillance cameras, put their social media pages on slideshows, and brought in firms from Florida to try to keep the union from organizing, Legislator Taisha St. Jean Tard alleged in August.

Last spring, the NLRB issued a formal complaint against the hotel, finding merit in several of the firings. It also issued a "bargaining order," in an attempt to compel the hotel to bargain with workers.

"It really speaks to the egregiousness of the misconduct that's happened here at the Hyatt Regency," Sill said.

"I'm sure there are countless other organizations and entities supporting this effort right now," State Assemblyman Jon Rivera (D) said. "This is not the way things are going to get done any longer."

You can view the full announcement in the video player above.