Young Dems, gays, and teachers boycott hotels

Groups avoid hotels in dispute
Democrats, gays find new venues; teachers union may skip S.F.

From today's Chronicle:

Two groups with meetings scheduled in San Francisco say they will take their business away from hotels locked in a dispute with union workers, while a major teacher's organization warns it might leave the city altogether.

The American Federation of Teachers, planning a meeting for several thousand people in July 2006, said in a letter to San Francisco hotels that it will move to another city if the hotel labor dispute is not resolved by Aug. 1.

In addition, the Young Democrats of America said Wednesday it is moving its biennial national convention in August out of the St. Francis, one of 14 hotels that have not yet signed contracts to replace agreements that expired nine months ago. And the Gay Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation said it will relocate its 16th annual media awards event on June 11 from the St. Francis to the Festival Pavilion at Fort Mason.

Local 2 of the hotel workers union has been pressing a boycott of the 14 big hotels.