Jason Hopkins of the Daily Caller reports on one unintended consequence of a major hotel chain’s efforts to win brownie points from those who wish to “go green.”
Housekeepers are protesting Marriott International’s “Make a Green Choice” program, claiming the initiative is costing them money and forcing erratic work on their schedules.
Marriott and its hotel subsidiaries are offering customers a deal: Earn 500 bonus points for every day you refuse housekeeping services. Participating customers can refuse serve for up to three consecutive days at a time, racking up a large amount of points in the process. The “Make a Green Choice” program is also being billed as an environmentally friendly initiative, with advertisements lauding the amount of water, electricity and chemicals that can be saved.
However, not everyone is happy.
Maids across the country are livid over the new program, claiming they are being harmed with reduced work hours and more stressful schedules as they now must clean rooms that haven’t been managed in several days. Unite Here — a union that represents many of the Marriott housekeepers — are organizing against the program.
“I love my job, but when guests are encouraged to deny housekeeping services, it hurts my hours, my pay, and my body. Rooms that haven’t been cleaned in days are dirty, and much harder to clean,” read an advertised statement from a housekeeper who has been negatively affected by the green initiative.
