UPDATE: Boycotts This Week at Hyatt Locations Around Nation in Protest of Worker Treatment

UPDATE 1 p.m.: A statement from Hyatt just came in responding to this week's protests:

"At Hyatt, the satisfaction and well being of our associates is fundamental to the success of our business because they are the ones who provide hospitality to our guests.  That is why the average tenure of Hyatt housekeepers in the US is more than 12 years.

"UniteHere’s new call for a boycott of Hyatt will have a direct and negative impact on our associates, who depend on business at our hotels for their livelihoods. UniteHere’s campaign is not about creating a better workplace at our hotels, but is an attempt to boost union membership by organizing associates at non-union Hyatt hotels through a non-democratic and intimidating process. To maintain the campaign, UniteHere leaders have refused to allow their members in Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Waikiki vote on proposals containing the same wage and benefits packages the union accepted at Hilton and Starwood.  As a result, our associates in these cities have gone without the pay raises and benefits increases they deserve for nearly three years.

"Hyatt is committed to paying our associates market-leading wages and benefits and their right to vote. In fact, in a full page ad in today’s Washington Post (http://hyattpressroom.com/hyatt/en/news_releases0/2012/Hyatt-Sets-Record-Straight-On-UniteHere-Campaign.html), we set the record straight and urged UniteHere leaders do the right thing for their members by allowing them to vote on a new contract that gives them the wage and benefits increases they deserve."

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Last week, a group identifying themselves as local residents , criticizing the workplace practices of its construction firm. Now this week, the hotel chain itself is coming under attack by a coalition that includes the NFL Players Association and which argues that Hyatt is the "worst employer in the hotel industry."

The group protesting Hyatt's treatment of its workers was scheduled to announce a plan to boycott hotel locations nationwide today at an event in Washington, DC, according to a press release. Along with the players association, those supporting the boycott include UNITE HERE, which represents service employees in the U.S. and Canada, the head of the National Organization for Women and the president of the AFL-CIO.

"The global boycott marks the largest escalation to date in an ongoing campaign for basic workers rights," the release says. "Hyatt has singled itself out as the worst employer in the hotel industry by abusing its housekeepers and other hotel workers, replacing longtime employees with minimum wage temporary workers, and imposing dangerous and health-threatening workloads on those who remain."

In a response given to the industry website Meetings Focus, Hyatt officials said their hotels provide "industry-leading wage and benefits packages, maintains an outstanding workplace safety record, and is a recognized leader in promoting a diverse workforce."

They continued: "The Unite Here campaign is not about creating a better workplace at our hotels but is an attempt to boost union membership by organizing associates at non-union Hyatt hotels."

Last week's protest in Braintree was not focused on the hotelier itself, but rather Tishman Construction, a firm that is part of an international conglomerate with projects nationwide and also a significant number of workplace safety violations over the past several years.

The boycott this week will be combined with demonstrations at Hyatt Hotels and other actions in 20 US cities, including Los Angeles, Honolulu, San Francisco, Chicago, Baltimore, Indianapolis and Boston, according to the release.