Union Seeking Boycott of 5 Atlanta Convention Events

A major labor union said Friday that it has begun to send out letters to all Democratic National Convention delegates, and other political figures including Michael S. Dukakis, urging them not to attend five events during the convention because they are being held at properties owned or controlled by Atlanta developer John C. Portman Jr., with whom the union has had a long-running dispute.

The events include a dinner for large contributors at Portman’s home; all appearances on ABC’s “Good Morning America,” which is being broadcast live from the Marriott Marquis Hotel, in which Portman has an interest; a benefit fashion show; a brunch hosted by USA Today newspaper for members of Congress, some delegates and VIPS, and a Delta Air Lines reception.

The boycott campaign of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) was scaled back to five events from nine, after entreaties from Atlanta Mayor Andrew Young, Democratic Party Chairman Paul G. Kirk Jr. and other individuals who were concerned that the protests might embarrass Young, the party and Portman.

Union President John Sweeney “decided he didn’t want to do anything that would hurt Mayor Young or the DNC,” his spokesman Ray Abernathy said late Friday.

Cooked for Negotiators

Young presided over two negotiating sessions in the last 24 hours in an attempt to resolve the dispute, including cooking a pasta dinner at his home for negotiators.

The union’s dispute with Portman, 63, stems out of a yearlong campaign to organize 1,300 janitors in downtown Atlanta, as part of a “Justice for Janitors” campaign in cities across the country, including Los Angeles. About 200 of the Atlanta janitors clean Portman properties. They are employees of other companies to whom Portman has subcontracted the cleaning work.

The Atlanta janitors, the majority of whom are black and 70% of whom are women, typically are paid $3.50 and receive little or no benefits, Abernathy said. Their unionization campaign has drawn support from several community leaders, including Atlanta’s Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.) and Coretta Scott King.

‘Can Well Afford It’

The letters mailed Friday under Sweeney’s name say the workers “are fighting for a union, a living wage and minimum benefits in an industry which can well afford it.” Abernathy said the union plans to hand out literature at each event urging people not to enter, creating potentially embarrassing situations for Democrats, many of whom consider themselves pro-union.

Portman, who has a reputation for being a “progressive” businessman in Atlanta, expressed outrage in a telephone interview at the union’s campaign: “I’m not anti-union,” he declared, stating that janitors at a number of his properties in other cities were unionized.

“I’m the last person they should be doing this to. This is the kind of stuff that keeps getting the Democratic Party beat,” he added.

Portman designed and built Atlanta’s first modern luxury hotel, the Hyatt Regency. It features the atrium lobby that has become a signature piece for Portman-designed hotels in several cities, including the Bonaventure in downtown Los Angeles.

He has an interest in a considerable amount of downtown Atlanta real estate, including a large complex called the Peachtree Center that has a shopping mall and six office towers.

After the union started soliciting janitors and handing out literature in the Peachtree Center, Portman’s Peachtree Center Management Co. went to state court and obtained an injunction, which greatly restricts the union’s access to the center.

Subsequently, the union complained to the National Labor Relations Board, and in June the board issued charges asserting that Peachtree had violated the union’s rights to organize. A trial has been set for later this year.

Spokesmen for the Dukakis campaign declined to return calls asking how they would respond to the protest. But Daniel Cantor, labor coordinator for the Jesse Jackson presidential campaign, said in a telephone interview “we will visibly support” the janitors.