Associate Safety and Training

Hyatt has an outstanding safety record, one that we constantly focus on through:

  • Training
  • Worker feedback
  • Associate recognition programs
  • Updated room design

Our associates work hard and have the tools, resources and training they need to do a great job.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has found no reason to issue citations against Hyatt for ergonomic risks to housekeepers. OSHA reached this conclusion following exhaustive and duplicative inspections that were conducted at the behest of UniteHere, as part of its ongoing campaign to boost union membership by organizing associates at more Hyatt properties through a non-democratic and often intimidating process.

It is unfortunate that UniteHere continues to distort Hyatt’s safety record for the purpose of creating misinformation about the work experience at Hyatt properties. In yet another disingenuous tactic, union leadership has used a government agency, in this case, OSHA, to do their bidding. UniteHere demanded that OSHA conduct duplicative nationwide investigations on the union’s unfounded assertion that housekeepers at Hyatt, as opposed to other hotels, suffer injuries due to repetitive stress. Following these exhaustive inspections, Fed-OSHA inspectors and ergonomists concluded, in line with Hyatt’s own experience, that there was no link between housekeeping and repetitive motion injuries that would support the issuance of citations.

Our associates work hard and have the tools, resources and training they need to do a great job. For instance, our hotel teams regularly lead pre-shift stretching and consistently review proper techniques for completing tasks. In addition, our housekeeping staff can use a wide variety of equipment to make their jobs easier, including wedges and mops with various handle lengths. Many of our renovated rooms are easier to clean, with new and modern bathrooms and beds that are often lighter than the older beds. We employ occupational health nurses to assist in injury prevention and treatment. Worker training programs are robust and provided on an ongoing basis.

The health and wellbeing of our associates is one of our top priorities. Hyatt has been a leader in ensuring a safe workplace for our associates – the longevity of our workforce (the average tenure for a Hyatt housekeeper across the U.S. is more than 12 years) is testament to the fact that Hyatt is, in fact, an employer that values its associates’ overall health and welfare. We are proud to offer competitive wages and outstanding benefits packages, including healthcare with wellness programs, to our associates and their families.

We have come to expect a certain level of rhetoric and gamesmanship from UniteHere whenever we are involved with their leadership in contract negotiations, but this dishonest attempt to misrepresent the work environment in our properties is well over the line.

About UniteHere’s Commissioned Survey

UniteHere commissioned a survey for the purpose of creating misinformation about the work experience at Hyatt properties. The survey “results” were published in the article “Occupational Injury Disparities” in the American Journal of Industrial Medicine in late 2010, and predictably, distorted outdated data to achieve a result. UniteHere’s assertions do not accurately portray the experience of the people who work in our hotels.

We conferred with Dr. Jane Derebery, a highly respected physician specializing in occupational medicine, who then conducted an independent, comprehensive review of the study by UniteHere. Her conclusion? The assertions by the UniteHere study are not supported by the data and, in fact, could be damaging.

She reported that “Occupational Injury Disparities” reaches assertions that are unsupported by the limited, significantly-confounded observational study that its authors conducted. This study does not provide an objective, scientific basis for concluding that the routine work performed by hotel workers is physically hazardous or that it is particularly hazardous for women, Hispanics, or housekeepers. Thus, the authors’ calls for “immediate action” are decidedly unfounded. Read the study here.