Who Owns Anbang of China? A U.S. Labor Union Wants to Know.
The union, Unite Here, said in a statement on Thursday
that it had filed federal unfair labor practice charges against Anbang and three hotels it owns in the United States for failing to comply with its request for information on the company’s ownership and sources of financing.
The company, which owns the Waldorf Astoria hotel in New York
and spent more than $6 billion for a collection of luxury hotels across the United States last year, is also under scrutiny for being among one of China’s “gray rhinos” – heavily indebted companies that could pose a threat to the Chinese economy
The union — which represents more than 1,000 workers at Anbang’s Westin St. Francis hotel in San Francisco, the Loews Santa Monica hotel in California and the Fairmont Chicago hotel — had asked Anbang and its hotel operators for
that information as well as for documents related to potential condominium conversions of hotels in May.
“By filing these federal charges, we’re asking the National Labor Relations Board to compel disclosure,”
said Kurt Petersen, a co-president of Unite Here Local 11, a Los Angeles affiliate.
Under United States labor laws, unions or employers can file charges against
each other, which are subsequently investigated by American labor officials.
