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HOLLYWOOD, Fla. – Long-time employees at the Diplomat Beach Resort were out protesting on Friday, expressing concern that when the Hollywood milestone reopened, they could be replaced by new, cheaper workers.
The union that organizes the protests represents about 650 employees of the complex. They are officially still pending, as the diplomat remains closed.
There is no reopening date set for the massive 1,000-room hotel, but they are being booked for June.
The union says that while other hotels have signed a pledge to get their employees back, the diplomat’s management has not.
They say both parties are talking.
“We are here for a very simple reason. We want to make sure that when the business goes back to the diplomat, that those workers come back with the business, ”said Wendi Walsh, secretary / treasurer of the Unite Here Local 355 union.
Martha Vasquez, a 17-year-old diplomatic ruler, noted the struggles of these employees who have been out of work for a year after the COVID-19 pandemic came to a halt.
Announcements
“We’re here because we look forward to our jobs,” he said. “We do not have money. We have to pay the bills. We need money to eat. “
Nathalie Prudhomme, a uniformed assistant for almost 20 years, also wants to get her job back.
“I’m here today to ask the hotel to reopen, because everyone is suffering,” he said.
The diplomat has 209,000 square feet of convention space. Brookfield Properties, which owns the building but does not carry out day-to-day operations, said in a statement to Local 10 News that conventions and events are needed for the property to reopen.
“Unfortunately, we do not know when we will be able to reopen the hotel,” the statement said. “Unlike smaller hotels with tourist support, group hotels like the Diplomat cannot operate without conventions and events that run full or almost full. It is an unfortunate reality for the Diplomat community and its staff, as well as for to all the local restaurants and businesses that depend on conventions and the people they bring. “
Announcements
A new management company, Ainbridge Hospitality, has been incorporated to lead day-to-day operations.
No one from Ainbridge returned calls or emails on Friday from Local 10 News looking for comments.
Vasquez and others are looking forward to receiving federal stimulus money while they continue to look forward to the opportunity to return to work.
“Thanks to the president. Thanks to the United States, ”he said. “But we need our money and our jobs.”
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