Jan. 2014–PROVIDENCE, R.I. — The National Labor Relations Board has agreed to hear complaints lodged against the Renaissance Providence Downtown Hotel and its owner, The Procaccianti Group, of Cranston, regarding its labor practices.
An administrative law judge will hear the complaints filed by UNITE Here Local 217 in the spring. The Providence labor group has waged a long campaign against the Providence hotel, including demonstrations and a protest at a Providence City Council meeting.
In its NLRB complaint, UNITE Here alleges hotel managers and The Procaccianti Group executives have interfered with unionization efforts at the hotel located across the street from the State House.
The union contends that Renaissance workers make “significantly lower wages and benefits than their counterparts” in unionized hotels.
The NLRB gave the hotel operator until Jan. 14 to answer allegations in the complaint. A hearing on the matter is set for March 31 in Boston, at the Thomas P. O’Neill Jr. Federal Building.
