The Union recently learned that United’s procurement department selected a layover hotel in Rome (FCO) and Palermo (PMO) that is not only not approved by the Union, it was never inspected by the Union. Additional rooms were needed in FCO to support the increased hotel room requirement for the DEN route, and PMO is a new market.
Upon learning that hotels were selected without any involvement of our AFA Hotel & Transportation Committee, in violation of our contractual hotel selection process, we engaged with company representatives. Through these discussions, we learned the company encountered challenges finding hotels that could be contracted. Even the hotel in dispute has already provided notice of the need for future “walks” this month. While the hotel may already be under contract, pursuant to our Agreement, we have requested an inspection to be conducted with the company.
We recognize that procuring a hotel that can accommodate the number of sleeping rooms needed can at times be a challenge, as we experienced when travel rebounded after the pandemic, we do expect the company to engage with us proactively to try and find solutions. The company and the Union share a contractually agreed upon hotel selection process that involves inspections of prospective hotels. The failure to follow that process is a violation of LOA 17 in our Contract, and absent acceptable resolution, we will be filing a grievance.