[Linganth] From today's SF Chronicle

[P. Kerim Friedman]

Begin forwarded message:

> From today's chron...
>
> Anthropology digs: If you want evidence that San Francisco's hotel
> lockout is hurting the city more than the hoteliers, look no further
> than the American Anthropological Association's decision to move its
> convention out of town.
>
> The group had planned to meet here later this month, with nearly all
> 5, 000 members set to stay at the San Francisco Hilton.
>
> But when the labor dispute hit high gear -- with 14 hotels locking out
> 4,000 cooks, cleaners, bartenders and others, after employees had
> called a two- week strike at four of the hotels -- the
> union-sympathizing anthropological association decided to move its
> gathering to Atlanta.
>
> Breaking the San Francisco Hilton contract, however, would have left
> the association on the hook for as much as $1.2 million.
>
> "We aren't very flush with money and couldn't just do that,'' said
> Ghita Levine, the group's spokeswoman.
>
> Upshot: The association and Hilton cut a deal, agreeing to move the
> convention to the nonunion Atlanta Hilton, where the group had already
> signed on for a future meeting anyway.
>
> So while the anthropologists got to send a message that they wouldn't
> cross the picket lines in San Francisco, they apparently did little to
> hurt the hotel chain's bottom line.