Got Slavery?: Five Hotel Corporations Exposed (4)

Event #3

One of the Supervisors at one of the hotels was pregnant during the time I began frequenting her hotel. I remember asking her, “Shouldn’t you be resting in your advanced state?” She then informed me that she could go on maternity leave 2 days prior to her due date. I gasped and repeated, “Two days?” Her maternity leave lasted 6 weeks before she had to “abandon” her newborn baby. I saw the Supervisor for a few days after she returned from leave and when I no longer saw her again, I asked her co-worker about her. She told me that the supervisor resigned to take care of her baby. I wondered whether she in fact resigned or if she was pressured into resigning. After all, employees are expected to be available at the will of management.

With the front desk position still open, I encouraged one of the Spanish-English bilingual employees—who I saw work as a breakfast bar attendant and housekeeper—to solicit the vacant position. She then told me that management at that hotel does not hire front desk personnel with children and since she has two children, she would not be considered. No one in management or other front desk employee is bilingual so having her in that capacity would have been an asset.

Likewise, I noticed that many of the hotels only hire young individuals to work at their front desks. Yet none of the hotels hire older for those positions.

Can you imagine being separated from your baby after six weeks? Can you imagine having a child/children and not having a permanent schedule? Can you imagine being told that you cannot be promoted because you have children? Can you imagine being told that you cannot hold a particular position because you are “too old?”