Richard Parks/The Bay Citizen

Thousands protested in solidarity with Hyatt hotel workers Thursday

In what appeared to be a shot at the White House, thousands of hotel employees and other union supporters crowded Stockton Street in San Francisco in an act of civil disobedience Thursday.

The coordinated protest against Hyatt, which is owned by a family with strong ties to President Barack Obama, took place in 15 cities across North America and drew many organized labor unions.

The hotel workers’ union, Local 2, is asking for a new contract with the hotel giant, including salary and pension increases. Some of the protest attendees were not familiar with the details of the contract dispute, but protested in solidarity nonetheless at an event that attracted local media attention. Some 150 arrests were made at the demonstration.

In press literature, Local 2 calls attention to Penny Pritzker, the former national finance chair of Barack Obama's presidential campaign and a current member of the Obama administration, whose family owns Hyatt. The union materials call the Pritzkers "an emblematic obstacle to our nation's recovery."

The crowd gathered on Market Street near Union Square Thursday afternoon and marched to the Grand Hyatt Hotel on Stockton Street. At 6 p.m., nearly half of the Hyatt workers who blocked off Stockton had been handcuffed, and were expected to be taken to a nearby precinct, ticketed and released.

Our video report from the protest features Don Olson, a Grant Hyatt worker for 30 years, and Peter Hillan, a Hyatt spokesman: