Industry Working to Stop Card Check Legislation
from NYSHTA
The country’s lodging community is committed to protecting workers' rights, including the right to join unions and approve their labor contracts through a fair and federally-supervised private ballot election. The Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA) would take away a worker’s right to a federally supervised private ballot election when deciding whether or not to join a union. EFCA would replace the private ballot with a biased and inferior process called “card check” which allows a union to organize if a majority of workers simply sign a card. Under this system, the workers’ votes are made public to the employer, the union organizers, and co-workers.

Both the House and Senate bills were defeated in the 110th Congress (2007-08). However, organized labor supporters vowed to introduce the legislation again in the new Congress. On March 10, 2009, the Employee Free Choice Act was introduced in both houses of Congress.

Call to Action: You need to contact your Congressperson and Senator and let them know how you feel about this onerous legislation.

Use this link: http://www.ahla.com/issuebrief.aspx?id=19498

Hard Times? Time to Take Off
from The New York Times
Some laid off Americans are taking advantage of their downtime by getting away. When Suzanne Schaefer was laid off from her position as a recruiting manager in the New York office of Lehman Brothers in November, she did the things most people do in her situation. She revised her résumé. She contacted headhunters. She commiserated with friends and consulted mentors. And then she went on a two-week vacation to Vietnam. Ms. Schaefer isn’t alone. As the world economy tanks and stories of financial despair abound, a surprising number of travelers (some who are still collecting paychecks and some who are not) are deciding to take advantage of the recession’s inevitable effect on the tourism industry. To entice travel in the states, the average one-way domestic coach ticket bought in advance was $106 in early March, down about 20 percent from $135 in early July, according to Harrell Associates, a consulting firm that tracks airfares. More

Running Effective PPC Campaigns on Facebook
from Hospitality Net
It's a great time to create ad campaigns on social networking sites. Facebook has over 175 million users and over half of them are out of college and has recently had the highest growth rate. Forrester predicts the site to achieve the same number of registered users as MySpace in Q4 of 2008, or early 2009 given the current growth rates. To get started with your PPC campaign, log into Facebook and click on Advertising at the bottom of the page - or simply click here:
http://www.facebook.com/advertising.

The 2009 Conference & Expo will give lodging owners and operators the tools to stay competitive during these tough economic times. WHEN: April 26-28, 2009 WHERE: Saratoga Hilton & Saratoga City Center, Saratoga Springs, NY WHY YOU SHOULD ATTEND: The Conference & Expo will provide attendees with a perfect atmosphere to absorb new ideas and network with industry leaders. For more information on registration, contact Trish Bergan, NYSH&TA Meeting Planner at (800) 642-5313 ext. 107, or e-mail her at trish@nyshta.org. Register Online Download the full Conference & Expo Brochure

Loyalty Program Promotions Give Hotels a Boost
from Hotel News Now
Hotel companies are pulling out perks and pushing promotions, trying to boost occupancy—or at least steer consumers away from competitors and toward their properties instead. Loyalty club members can cash in on extra nights, earn higher status more quickly or even trade points for an airline ticket. With consumers cautiously booking travel and looking for greater value, the role of loyalty programs in this economy is more critical than ever, several executives said. More

NYSH&TA Hotel Safety Group Pays 30 Percent Dividend
from NYSH&TA
Members of the New York State Hospitality & Tourism Association’s Workers' Compensation Safety Group #464 just received a 30 percent dividend check. More than 200 properties (all NYSH&TA members) participate. The Safety Group is managed by G.C.G. Risk Management.

On average, more than $5,500 in dividends were returned to each property. When you combine the 30 percent dividend with the 20 percent discount properties receive for being NYSH&TA members, that is a savings of 50 percent off of the State Fund manual rates.

To learn more about this program contact Membership Services Manager, Darcy Lyle (518-465-2300 /darcy@nyshta.org).

Liquor License Renewals
by Theresa M. Russo, Esq.
Wilson, Elser, Moskowitz, Edelman & Dicker LLP
The New York State Liquor Authority (“SLA”) has recently released a new “Renewal Application Notice Form” to provide thirty (30) day notice to municipalities and community boards of a licensee’s intention to submit a renewal application for an On-Premises Alcoholic Beverage License. Use of the Renewal Application Notice Form is now mandatory for all On-Premises licensees.

The SLA has implemented a policy imposing fines upon licensees who do not comply with the thirty (30) day notice requirement, or fail to use the new “Renewal Application Notice Form” even if such licensee obtains a waiver from the municipality or community board. The current fine is one thousand dollars ($1,000.00) for a first offense. The Renewal Application Notice Form may be found at www.abc.state.ny.us.

Ms. Russo is a Partner with the Liquor Law Group at Wilson, Elser, Moskowitz, Edelman & Dicker LLP, in its Albany, New York Office. She regularly counsels hotels, restaurants, caterers and bars on a broad array of liquor law issues. Ms. Russo can be reached at Wilson, Elser, Moskowitz, Edelman & Dicker LLP, 677 Broadway - 9th Floor, Albany, New York 12207 or (518) 449-8893.