Protest held in support of housekeeper who claims she was wrongfully terminated

Members of Unite Here protested Thursday afternoon in front of the Hyatt Regency in Indianapolis after housekeeper was let go from that position.
 
The former subcontracted Hyatt Regency employee, Elvia Bahena, was surprised July 24 when she went to work and did not have a job.  She said she was told she was let go from her position because, in part, she missed too many days of work.  But, she said she believes it was because she spoke up in front of a committee about her experiences in the hotel industry. 
 
Bahena spoke  in front of the Rules and Public Policy Committee July 10. She described working without benefits for 10 years at another hotel through another staffing agency and was never given the opportunity to work directly for the hotel.  She asked for a raise and, she said, she was taken off the schedule and transferred to another hotel for less money.
 
The City Council voted in favor of the Freedom to Work ordinance, which would have made sure hotels wouldn't be a part of an agreement that would prevent them from hiring contracted workers.  Hotel industry leaders have said they did not believe an ordinance was needed because that does not happen.  The mayor vetoed the decision, stating there was not enough evidence of blacklisting happening in the city.
 
"My colleagues and I are here to support Unite Here. We stand with Unite Here and it is our hope that workers throughout our city is given an opportunity to share their thoughts, their views, their concerns without being harassed and without being terminated," said Maggie Lewis, D-District 7.
 
Unite Here protested outside the Hyatt Regency for more than an hour, saying they want justice.  They claim Hyatt abuses housekeepers and other hotel workers and pays them extremely low wages.
 
"This is outrageous this is happening in our city where people should be free to speak out. People should not have fear of testifying in public and we hope we can take actions to remedy (this) situation immediately," Sarah Lyons with Unite Here said.
 
Another Unite Here employee said, "If they (Hyatt Regency) did not know this decision by the subcontractor, then they have an opportunity to do something about it.  If they were aware of this situation with their subcontractor then they are completely within their realm of rehiring a woman who has been cleaning rooms downtown for 11 years and she's been a part of building up the hotel industry."
 
But, Hyatt Regency General Manager Brian Comes said it is not what it seems. 

“Unfortunately, this is another example of Unite Here misleading the public, trying to push their agenda forward in the community," he said.