Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick has decided to ask State workers to boycott the Hyatt unless Hyatt rehires the fired housekeepers at their three Boston hotels – the Hyatt Regency Boston, Hyatt Regency Cambridge, and Hyatt Harborside Hotel.

In a letter to Hyatt CEO Mark Hoplamazian, Gov. Patrick said that he was disappointed by Hyatt’s unwillingness to reconsider their firing of  housekeepers from their three hotels in Boston and replacing them with workers from an outsourcing firm, and that he understood how difficult it is to manage under the current economic situation, but unless Hyatt reconsiders, he will direct all state workers to stay away from Hyatt.

Here’s an excerpt from the letter sent by Gov. Patrick to Hyatt CEO Mark Hoplamazian on Sept 22, 2009:

“Again, I ask Hyatt to reconsider the decision to replace these workers. Barring that, I will direct all state employees not to use Hyatt when traveling or for other purposes for the foreseeable future. This is not how I like to operate. But the treatment of these workers apprears to be so substandard that it leaves me no choice.”

Background information here. I think its safe to say that the fired employees will have their jobs back at most by next week, but probably this week itself.

Update 1: Sept 23, 2009 – Statement from Phil Stamm, General Manager of Hyatt Regency Boston, in response to Gov. Patrick’s proposed Hyatt boycott – “We do not understand why the Governor is putting more Massachusetts jobs at risk instead of working with us to find jobs for employees affected by the realities of these unprecedented economic challenges.”

I don’t think Hyatt realizes just how deep this hole is. This is a no-win situation, and digging in and sticking to their ground is just going to get them in even more trouble. If the official and/or labor boycott spreads beyond Massachusetts, no amount of backtracking is going to help them afterwards.