A labor dispute is unfolding at one of the most storied hotels in the Hudson Valley. Two former engineers at the historic Thayer Hotel at West Point say they were fired while trying to unionize, and their union has now filed federal labor charges against the property.
One of the two former Thayer Hotel engineers, who asked News 12 not to show his face, described how quickly he says it happened. He recalled speaking with a coworker on a Saturday and being fired the following Monday, a timeline he links directly to his organizing efforts.
The worker says the trouble began when he started talking with colleagues about joining a union. He claims he was fired for trying to organize employees to join the International Union of Operating Engineers, a push he says was tied to his hopes for a fairer environment on the job.
Alongside the organizing, he says he had flagged problems with conditions at the hotel. He raised safety concerns about the working environment, telling News 12 that there is asbestos, and says the events unfolded back in May as he began speaking up.
According to the former engineer, the firing came despite positive feedback about his work. He says he returned for his next shift and was let go even though his boss had just told him he was doing a good job during a recent review.
The allegations have put a spotlight on an institution with deep history. The hotel has stood at West Point for nearly a century and has hosted presidents, world leaders and other high-profile guests, an image now set against questions about how it treated its workers.
The dispute has since moved into the federal arena. The union has filed an unfair labor practice charge with the National Labor Relations Board, claiming the two men were fired for union activity, while the former employee says the ordeal has been mentally hard and that he still thinks about it every day.
For its part, the hotel rejects the accusations. It denies the allegations and says it is cooperating with the Labor Board's investigation, adding that because the matter is pending before the National Labor Relations Board it will not have further comment at this time.