[PEN-L:9382] Sweeney Meets Japanese on New Otani Campaign

[Michael Eisenscher <meisenscher@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Mon, 7 Apr 1997 11:18:21 -0400 (EDT)
From: Strieb@xxxxxxx
Subject: John Sweeney Press Conference in Japan

AFL-CIO PRESIDENT SWEENEY TO MEET NEW OTANI EXECUTIVES
ABOUT COMPANY'S ANTI-UNION CAMPAIGN IN LOS ANGELES
Plans April 9 Press Conference about Major US Labor Dispute

	John Sweeney, President of the 13 million member AFL-CIO, will meet with
executives of the New Otani Company Ltd. on Tuesday, April 8 to discuss the
company's continued opposition to employee organizing at their Los Angeles
hotel, the New Otani Hotel and Garden -- in what is currently the highest
profile labor dispute in the United States involving a Japanese company.
 Sweeney has also requested a meeting with executives of Kajima Corporation,
the hotel's controlling owner, but they have refused to meet him.

	Sweeney will hold a press conference on Wednesday, April 9 at 12:30 PM to
present the outcome of the meeting with New Otani along with more information
on the labor situation in Los Angeles -- where workers are attempting to
organize a union with help from the Hotel Employees & Restaurant Employees
Union and have been attacked by management's strong anti-union campaign,
including intimidation and firing of union supporters.  Joining Sweeney in
the press conference will Margarita Salinas, a housekeeper at the Los Angeles
New Otani who was fired illegally after working at the hotel for 16 years
because she supported the union organizing effort.

	Since November, JTUC-Rengo and the AFL-CIO have both endorsed the
boycott of the non-union Los Angeles New Otani Hotel and have called upon
New Otani and Kajima to meet with the union's leaders, rehire the
illegally fired workers, and pledge to cease all anti-union activities and
to allow the employees an expedited vote on a union through a card-check
procedure.

	Sweeney's main purpose in visiting Japan this week is to discuss a
wide range of issues with JTUC-Rengo, including trade policy, a number of
organizing and bargaining campaigns, and labor disputes involving Japanese
and American multinational companies, such as the New Otani dispute.
After leaving Japan, he will travel to Hong Kong to meet with trade
unionists there, less than three months before Hong Kong is turned over to
Chinese control.  He is joined in his delegation by top AFL-CIO leaders
including United Auto Workers Union International President Stephen
Yokich.

WHAT:		PRESS BRIEFING ON LOS ANGELES NEW OTANI LABOR DISPUTE

WHEN: 	WEDNESDAY, APRIL 9 -- 12:30 PM

WHERE: 	JTUC-RENGO, SOHYO-KAIKAN, SURUGADAI, KANDA, CHIYODA-KU,
		 	3RD FLOOR CONFERENCE ROOM A, SUBWAY: SHIN OCHANOMIZU
			For Directions Contact - Phone: 5295-0527, Fax: 5295-0548

Contact (in English):
Phil Fishman, AFL-CIO, (03)3504-1111, Rm. 1685
Lee Strieb, HERE, 010-424-9610 (cellular)