The Woodfin Suites Hotel in Emeryville filed a brief in Alameda County Superior Court demanding that Emeryville taxpayers pay the hotel about $500,000 in legal fees. The brief comes about one month after Superior Court Judge Steven Brick ordered the Woodfin to pay $200,000 in back wages to dozens of immigrant housekeepers, ending a lengthy and expensive court fight that began in 2006.
News of the Woodfin’s demand that Emeryville pay the hotel’s legal fees has sparked anger among residents.
“I’m floored,” said one resident. “The Woodfin spends years recklessly trying to undermine a voter-approved living wage law, and now they want a $500,000 ‘bailout’ from those same voters? They can’t be serious.”
The Woodfin has yet to pay the workers and has recently suggested in court that it might appeal Judge Brick’s ruling, further prolonging the four-year legal fight. The dispute has sparked the continuing boycott of the Woodfin, more than 100 pickets, and the largest protest march in Emeryville’s history.
The back wages are owed as the result of Measure C, a 2004 initiative that established a living wage for workers at Emeryville hotels, and also set guidelines for working conditions. The wage for housekeepers ranges from about $9.75 to $11.05 an hour. Emeryville’s three other hotels are in compliance.
“I’m in this fight for my family,” said one worker, Maria. “I earned every cent of that money with my own sweat and hard work.”
About 60 workers, residents, and supporters picketed the Woodfin last Saturday. The march began at 7:30 a.m. as a “wake up call” to the Woodfin that the boycott will continue until workers have checks in hand.
“This is a gross injustice,” said Henry Norr, a retired journalist from Berkeley, in explaining why he joined the picket line. “The people who work the hardest are the people who get the least. It’s not right.”
(Photos: Protestors at the Woodfin Saturday, Jan. 16. Photos by Tracy Schroth).
OMG the audacity is so huge. Woodfin Suites Hotel; the out-of-town corporate darling of the Chamber of Commerce.
Just because this is a billion dollar corporation, that doesn't mean they get to ignore our laws. If this were a mom & pop store, they would have lost their operating permit soooo long ago. We shouldn't let money buy 'justice' in Emeryville. Let's make Woodfin obey Emeryville's laws just like if they were a small business without political connections. Revoke Woodfin's business license now!
Little Red Hen
By Malvina Reynolds
The Little Red Hen found a grain of wheat,
Said "This looks good enough to eat,
But I'll plant it instead, make me some bread,"
Said to the other guys down the street,
"Who will help me plant this wheat?"
Chorus:
"Not I!" said the dog and the cat.
"Not I!" said the mouse and the rat.
"I will then," said the Little Red Hen,
And she did.
Well the sun shone bright, the rain it blew,
The grain of wheat it grew and grew,
It began to sprout, headed out,
Till it was ripe enough.
Said, "Who will help me harvest this stuff?"
(Chorus)
She lugged it to the miller to grind to flour,
Cause the others would furnish her no manpower,
And at baking time they all declined
To help her with the job;
They were a dog gone no-good mob.
(Chorus)
The bread looked good and smelled so fine
The gang came running and fell in line;
"We'll do our part with all our heart
To help you eat this chow!"
She said, "I do not need you now."
"I planted and hoed this grain of wheat,
Them that works not, shall not eat,
That's my credo," the little bird said,
And that's why they called her Red.
Malvina Reynolds
Nice title!
As an Emeryville resident, this kind of thing just makes me want to yell louder on the Woodfin picket line, and to do whatever I can to support the boycott.
FYI, it is the Operating Permit that can be revoked, not the Business License.
Oh, and yes, their Operating Permit should be revoked! Absolutely!
Who wrote and submitted Measure C to be placed on the ballot and what could have been stated/not stated/defined to avoid such a problem as this. Now, before you attack me as a horrible person, I think that some information of this type would be of interest to the public.
I totally support the cause of the workers and have protested in the rallies and at the City Council meetings. However, it is also very important for the public to be aware how problems such as these come into being. If The Secret News is really all that it wants us to believe what it is in fact, would it be to much to ask them to research the whole situation rather then just trying to make a noise at this time. I know that I will be called names and who knows what else by a certain element, but I still believe that one should be able to question.
The sad thing about this is that the city council will probably say yes to stickin' it to the taxpayers to bailout Woodfin. Poor, poor Woodfin. They're just trying to screw the lowly workers like everybody else, only they got caught. Those workers should have known…there's no garentee they get what's owed to them. This America after all.
Commenter on January 21, 2010 8:40 PM:
I'll call you a name: Intelligent Commenter! How's that?
Your point is a valid one. It is unfortunate that The Secret Blog is such a forum of hate.
The Secret News are just liberal haters. Hate, hate, hate. Now realize, I'm a total supporter of the workers and I've also been to the protests but Measure C, the "living wage for hotel workers" is socialism, pure and simple. If workers are paid more, then the costs go up. Businesses will pass on the costs to us. Remember, what's good for business is what's good for Emeryville. I fully support these workers at Woodfin but they're all illegal aliens…they don't deserve to be here. Just because we don't think the workers should be able to soak Woodfin for the phony back wages (for illegals) doesn't mean we don't have compassion for them and support them. We do, it's just that with the economy like this, we'll revisit living wages later. Woodfin is right to not pay these people.
Some of the protesters shout and bang things, they seem very angry.
Just so the January 21 8:40 PM guy knows, I don't think you're necessarily 'horrible' just because you don't like the idea of democracy. There have been many studied and reasonable people throughout history that have decried the myriad problems associated with it. Even our founding fathers struggled over this. Some people have made very compelling arguments like about how the rabble of the masses will produce a lowering or debasement of the civil society and the renderings of the 'noblise oblige' will better fill in for the running of a just and more sublime society. It seems that is your argument here: The people of Emeryville were just not sophisticated enough to see how, by trying to make a more just and moral town and voting for Measure C, they would end up in a lawsuit against a fine local business. I don't think it's horrible, just reprehensible.
From January 21, 2010 8:40 PM.
It is interesting that you (January 22, 2010 2:32 PM and 5:36 PM) did not read the first (Who wrote and submitted Measure C to be placed on the ballot and what could have been stated/not stated/defined to avoid such a problem as this.) and last (I know that I will be called names and who knows what else by a certain element, but I still believe that one should be able to question.) sentences of my comment. Nevertheless, once again you pulled the School Yard Bully routine making gross assumptions and used extreme sarcasm rather than actually reading and responding to the actual statement.
My argument has nothing to do with the people of Emeryville but rather the writers of Measure C in crafting a solid document that may have avoided the problems for those who are most affected by the results.
Hmmm 'forum of hate'. I thought it was journalism. That's pretty neat. If your not comforting the comfortable, you're a hater. These worker asking for their money are haters and the secret news are haters for telling people about it.
So the characters are set up for this play; you've got the local friendly Woodfin, providing services and paying their taxes to the people. Then you've got the school yard bullies; the greedy workers and all the Emeryville rubes who supported them by voting for Measure C, contained within are the duped pollyannas who aren't necessarily bullies because they didn't understand what they were voting for.
This is sort of like a bad Hollywood script only in reverse; here it's the weak that are bullies and the corporate power that's good. This is a retrograde, but interesting switch.
Hey I gotta remember that Jan 22 7:03 guy's tactic. You pre-announce you're going to be called names for your controversial stance and that totally shields you from anybody taking issue. You win by default. Then if anybody breaks your unilateral defense, you get to call them bullies. This is a great way to completely shut down anybody that disagrees with you. I'm going to use this technique, I hope you don't mind if I steal it.
Geez, the snarky comments are building up here. Can't we all just agree that the Woodfin sucks?
Go Saints!
Notice how the right wing is free to comment here as opposed to the Emeryville Connection, where the only comments allowed are the ones favorable to their agenda? Emeryville Connection is the Fox News of Emeryville.
The Secret News is your Saints football Emeryville news source. The Emeryville Connection? Over there it's pure Colts. Take your pick, people.
To the Jan 22, 7:03 PM Person-
You are saying the Measure C 'living wage for hotel workers' law was badly written and it's hurting Woodfin and their workers. It's pretty easy to see how it's hurting Woodfin, they (and the other hotels in town) have to pay their workers more, but how does it hurt the workers? Please respond.
This is so mean spirited. The most basic thing everyone can relate to is having some rich boss cheat his workers out of their hard earned money. This is primal stuff. Pretty shocking Woodfin is taking this role;the role of the mean spirited Scrooge. Most corporations would run away from any association with this. The CEO is doing the corporate brand and the hotel a grave disservice,.
Potter: You see, if you shoot pool with some employee here, you can come and borrow money. What does that get us? A discontented, lazy rabble instead of a thrifty, working class. And all because a few starry-eyed dreamers like Peter Bailey stir them up and fill their heads with a lot of impossible ideas. Now, I say…
—John Barrymore (Mr. Potter), It's a Wonderful Life, 1946
Indeed, Marc. The rabble has been whipped up! Now they expect to get paid for their efforts. The indigence of it all!
There's a lot of misinformation influencing opinions, unfortunately. First of all the Woodfin has been in compliance with the city law and permit conditions every year since the regs were made clear. 2nd, the Court RULED the City violated Woodfin's due process rights and ordered the City to Pay Costs. later, in 2008, the City passed a law saying pay 2006 workers time and half for all their work, even if they didn't work over 40 hours.
The City gets 12% tax on every guest room. By making this order the Woodfin has to raise rates, making more money for the City. There are other incorrect assertions in the article that rabid commenters haven't bothered to check.
Great points you've made there Mr Woodfin defender. But what I find amazing is that the Woodfin lawyers never bothered to say any of this in court! Talk about over paid lawyers! Wouldn't you think they would have argued this in court?!? I mean, it's ridiculous that the only place the truth has been uttered is here, in your comment in the Secret News. The tragedy of it all is that Woodfin would have won their case if only the judge had been privy to the information you just shared with us. Wow! What a blunder on Woodfin's part!
It's just wonderful that Woodfin has been in compliance ever since the "regs" were made clear! Funny thing is that the "regs" were only confusing to Woodfin….Every other hotel in town thought the "regs" were perfectly clear. So what's the problem with Woodfin? Is it just a problem with a lack of intelligence or is it something else? Maybe, oh I don't know, just that they didn't want to pay?
actually those points were made in the trial court in both cases, the one the woodfin won, and the second one they didn't–yet, but the appeals are not over. Were you able to attend all the hearings?
Oh, so you're saying the judge thinks Woodfin is full of shit. That judge is a moron, right? "Hasn't won yet"… yeah, Brown VS the Board of Education hasn't been won yet either…the racists on the Kansas Board of Education are waiting for a better Supreme Court so they can revisit it. So 'Separate but Equal' is still the law of the land, we're just waiting for the court to make the final definitive decision.
So I guess all the other hotels in town are idiots for paying their workers…those losers never read the law and the simps actually paid! What maroons!
To the Woodfin defender-
Your taunter, while kind of obnoxious, asked a good question. Why is it every other hotel in town wasn't confused by the regulations? All of them obeyed the law with no problems or complaints. Why can't Woodfin be as good as the other hotels in town? It seems the Woodfin owner is interested in fighting our laws on principle or something. If that's the case, then what of the law abiding hotels? And what do we do about Woodfin? The question for Emeryville residents becomes, do we want to allow a business like this operating in our town?
Both sides suck!
Both sides suck…Woodfin sucks because it's a greedy corporation that's trying to get out of paying its employees for work rendered. The workers suck because they're whiners; just because Woodfin isn't paying them, they're complaining! If Woodfin were to pay them, they might start demanding other labor laws be obeyed. Yeah, both sides suck.
Anybody else notice the Woodfin defender in this comment section, is strangely silent after he was asked why the other hotels in town have had no problems with the provisions of the living wage for hotel workers law? I don't know about the rest of you, but I think it's because that question gets at the true nature of why Woodfin is in trouble here. Is Woodfin really stupider than the other hotels? No, they just want to have a greater profit margin at the workers and the residents of Emeryville's expense. They have no compunction in breaking our laws while they chase their higher profits. I say hats off to the other hotels, the good corporate neighbors and to hell with Woodfin.
The Chamber of Commerce, too, has no problem defending a lawbreaking corporation in our town. They've been defending Woodfin all along. So what message is the Chamber of Commerce sending to the good corporations in town? It makes one wonder who's side the Chamber is on? Emeryville's? Or just big corporations?
As soon as the Woodfin defender guy gets a tough question, he disappears.
Don't be so hard on the Woodfin defender, he's just angry at the world because no one shows up at his open houses. Must be tough trying to sell a condo made of low density fiber board, tar paper, chicken wire and spray on stucco in this economy.
I think the Woodfin defender is Hugh MacDonald, the manager of Woodfin and resident at the Elevation 22 condos.
Funny, in all the responses here no one has mentioned that most of the workers at the woodfin that are in this situation are here ILLEGALLY!!!! TAKING JOBS FROM TAX PAYING AMERICAN CITIZENS