The President of the Online News Association recently released a letter and FAQ to attendees of the ONA 2012 Conference regarding ONA’s decision to violate the worker-called boycott at the Hyatt Regency Embarcadero in San Francisco.  ONA’s stated values include editorial integrity, editorial independence, and journalistic excellence: “Online journalists should maintain the highest principles of fairness, accuracy, objectivity and responsible independent reporting.”  ONA’s letter and FAQ do not live up to these standards.

Indeed, we suspect that ONA’s message to its own members and attendees was largely copied word for word from communications prepared for it by the Hyatt Corporation.  How else would ONA have hit upon the exact same phrasing as other organizations that are violating the Hyatt boycott?  (See below for side by side comparisons.)

George Orwell famously said, “Journalism is printing what someone else does not want printed: everything else is public relations.”  When did ONA get out of the business of advancing journalism and into the business of doing PR for a multi-national corporation?

Here’s ONA on the question of honoring the boycott:

Will ONA participate in a boycott?

After looking into the matter closely, ONA has determined that participating in a boycott and pulling out of our year-long contract is not an appropriate or viable course of action. Pulling out of a binding contract would have resulted in a six-figure cost — a non-starter for a nonprofit organization such as ours, which relies on the registration and sponsorships that come from our annual conference to provide member benefits and serve our journalism community. While ONA is supportive of the ongoing negotiations process and has communicated with and urged both parties to resolve their issues in a timely manner that is fair to all, it is committed to holding its meeting as planned.

Now here’s the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators in its own “FAQ” about its own conference at a boycotted Hyatt hotel:

Will SCBWI participate in a boycott?

No, not at this time. After looking into the matter closely, SCBWI has determined that participating in a boycott of the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza hotel is not an appropriate or viable course of action. While SCBWI is supportive of the ongoing negotiations process and has communicated with and urged both parties to resolve their issues, it remains committed to hold its conference at the Hyatt Century Plaza from August 3-6th.

Sound familiar?  And here’s the National Association of County & City Health Officials in its “FAQ” about its conference at a boycotted Hyatt hotel:

Will NACCHO participate in a boycott?

No, not at this time. After looking into the matter closely, NACCHO has determined that participating in a boycott of the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza hotel is not an appropriate or viable course of action. While NACCHO is supportive of the ongoing negotiations process and has communicated with and urged both parties to resolve their issues in a timely manner that is fair to all, it is committed to holding its meeting July 11-13, 2012 as planned.

Seems kind of odd that everyone is “looking into the matter closely” and determining the exact same thing with the exact same wording, doesn’t it?

ONA, SBCWI, and NACCHO also used the exact same words to describe the serious issue of worker safety and OSHA citations at Hyatt Hotels across the country.  Hyatt’s response to concerns about the dangers of housekeeping work for Hyatt housekeepers is misleading in the extreme.  OSHA has ways to pursue health and safety issues other than issuing citations, and it has done so by issuing a company-wide letter to Hyatt Hotels, notifying the company of ergonomic risk factors faced by housekeepers in the course of their daily work.  The letter recommends simple steps for Hyatt to take to reduce the ergonomic strains of housekeeping labor.  Importantly, OSHA outlines Hyatt’s responsibility to record injuries of subcontracted workers at its hotels, addressing a loophole that has grown with Hyatt’s aggressive use of contract workers to clean hotel rooms.  Hyatt is the first and only hotel employer to receive such a letter from OSHA.

Here’s ONA:

The Hyatt, in response to UniteHere complaints related to its collective bargaining and organizing agenda, have had the injury records and substantive working conditions of 11 hotels thoroughly reviewed by Federal OSHA, California OSHA and two other State Plans. As a result of Unite Here complaints and substantial review by OSHA, CalOSHA and other State plans, no ergonomic issues or other serious working conditions affecting housekeepers or Hyatt’s other associates have been cited and no corrective actions have been required….

Here’s SCBWI:

In the meantime, The Hyatt, in response to UniteHere! complaints related to their collective bargaining and organizing agenda, have had the injury records and substantive working conditions of eleven hotels, including Century Plaza, thoroughly reviewed by Federal OSHA, California OSHA and two other State Plans. As a result of UniteHere! complaints and substantial review by OSHA, CalOSHA and other State plans, no ergonomic issues or other serious working conditions affecting housekeepers or Hyatt’s other associates have been cited and no corrective actions have been required….

Here’s NACCHO:

In the meantime, The Hyatt, in response to UniteHere! complaints related to their collective bargaining and organizing agenda, have had the injury records and substantive working conditions of eleven hotels, including Century Plaza, thoroughly reviewed by Federal OSHA, California OSHA and two other State Plans. As a result of UniteHere! complaints and substantial review by OSHA, CalOSHA and other State plans, no ergonomic issues or other serious working conditions affecting housekeepers or Hyatt’s other associates have been cited and no corrective actions have been required….

There are more similarities that you can easily see for yourself.  The harder task? Listening to the actual people who make the beds and cook the food and carry the bags at Hyatt hotels in San Francisco and across the country.  ONA leadership chose not to, but we urge you not to repeat their mistakes.

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