Lawsuit Against Local 26 Will Not Affect Negotiations

A lawsuit brought against a local Boston union is anticipated to have no effect on the union’s upcoming negotiations on behalf of Harvard University Dining Services staff or its ongoing representation of Harvard Club of Boston employees.

The complaint, filed by the United States Department of Labor, alleges that UNITE HERE Local 26—a Boston-based foodservice and hotel worker union—denied an employee access to contracts with other employers for comparison. The complaint argues that the reported denial of access violated the Labor-Management Reporting and Disclosure Act, which requires employers to provide contracts and other pertinent employment documents to employees who ask for them.

According to the complaint, the union granted an employee unfettered access to other contracts until she campaigned for a candidate running against incumbent union president, Brian Lang, in 2014. In the aftermath, the lawsuit alleges that the worker requested a copy of such contracts and was denied access.

Brian Lang, the current president of Local 26, said that “both the facts and the interpretation of the law are in dispute.”

“It has no bearing on any of our contract negotiations,” Lang added of the complaint. “We are very confident that we’re going to dispose of this expeditiously.”

Local 26 represents hotel and food service workers across the greater Boston area, including Harvard University Dining Services staff and the employees at the Harvard Club of Boston. The University plans to renegotiate contracts with HUDS staff in 2016 and in the interim period, students and workers hosted events that call for favorable health care packages in the negotiation process.

Local 26 is currently engaged in a notably tense negotiation process with the management at the Harvard Club of Boston, which is not officially affiliated with the University.

Diana C. Pisciotta, the spokesperson of the Harvard Club, indicated the Club did not expect the lawsuit to have any bearing on their open negotiations with Local 26.

“The Harvard Club remains focused on arriving at a contract that reflects the respect we have for our team members who are represented by Local 26, regardless of any issues the Local may have with its members,” Pisciotta wrote in an emailed statement. “The lawsuit speaks for itself.”

In February, workers from the Harvard Club staged a Donald Trump-themed rally outside of a Harvard Business School event to voice their dissatisfaction with what they believe has been a futile process. In response, Pisciotta wrote that the organization was “disappointed that Union organizers are focusing energies on false comparisons instead of coming to the negotiating table.”

According to Lang, Local 26 is slated to renegotiate every contract that the union currently holds—approximately 50 contracts—within the span of the next year.

—Staff writer Brandon J. Dixon can be reached @brandon.dixon@thecrimson.com. Follow him on Twitter @BrandonJoDixon.