By DEBORAH KONG
The
Associated Press
SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) - For years, Carlos Bolanos rose at 2 a.m. and drove
to a downtown hotel to bake the
croissants, muffins and coffee cakes that overnight guests enjoyed at breakfast.
But
Bolanos reported to work one day this month and was told to turn in his locker
key and uniform: Business had slowed since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and
Bolanos, who worked his way up to become the hotel's head baker, was out of a
job.
A
soft-spoken, 39-year-old man from Guatemala, Bolanos now finds himself in the
same tough spot as many other immigrants.
Americans
have stayed close to home since the attacks, causing a downturn in the hotel
business that has been particularly hard on immigrants in low-wage jobs,
including cooks, maids and dishwashers. Living paycheck to paycheck, such
workers can't afford long layoffs.
``I
feel very bad. I cannot believe it,'' said Bolanos, who came to the United
States in 1984. ``You have to pay bills, car insurance, house payments.''
The
Hotel Employees and Restaurant Employees International Union estimates that
more than 87,000 of its members across the country have lost their jobs since
the Sept. 11 attacks. The majority
of those people are immigrants, union officials believe.
Many
come from Latin America, Asia, Africa and Eastern Europe. They lack some
of
the skills that would make it easier to find another job.
And
when a hotel worker in the United States gets laid off, the ripple effect can
spread to another country.
Lupe
Stevenson lost her job as a banquet server at a waterfront hotel in Santa
Monica, Calif. That means she can no longer afford to send the usual $300 every
three months to her 19-year-old daughter attending college in Mexico.
Her
husband works for a moving company, and has doubled his hours. But the couple,
who have a 1-year-old child, still ``can barely even pay for the diapers we
need,'' Stevenson said.
Stevenson
and Bolanos are also worried about health insurance. For most workers, the
coverage ends shortly after they lose their jobs. After that, they must pay
$300 or more a month.
“I
have to keep the insurance,'' said Bolanos, the father of boys ages 7, 9 and
14. ``If you have kids, they can be sick anytime, any day.''
The
hotel employees union is lobbying Congress for funding to cover health insurance
costs for those put out of work since Sept. 11.
The
situation is even tougher for undocumented workers who entered the country
illegally - and who can't receive unemployment benefits. Many are looking for
jobs cleaning houses and as day laborers, said Kurt Petersen, organizing
director for the hotel and restaurant employees local in Santa Monica, Calif.
Just
last year, the hotel industry was facing a labor shortage and lobbied for
immigration reform so it could hire more workers from Mexico. But this September,
consumers spent $5.5 billion on hotel rooms, down from $7 billion in September
2000, according to Smith Travel Research.
Now
relief centers and workshops for the unemployed - be they citizens, legal residents
or undocumented immigrants - are sprouting up in such cities as Chicago,
Washington and New York.
In
Las Vegas, Local 226 of the hotel and restaurant workers' union, set up a tent
in its parking lot. About 10,000
people have visited in the past two weeks, clutching
Eviction
notices and asking for help paying rent. They fill out unemployment forms and
try
to work out payment plans with power, telephone and water companies.
Lucy
Cedeno, 42, is among the union volunteers there. Cedeno, who worked in a hotel
casino making change for gamblers, lost her job on Sept. 23. Now she divides her days between volunteering,
searching for a new job and pleading with her bank and credit card companies
for alternate payment schedules.
``I have to tell them my problems,'' said
Cedeno, who emigrated from Mexico.
``I'm probably going to have to sell my house.''
On the Net:
Hotel Employees and Restaurant Employees
International Union:
http://www.hereunion.org/
AP-NY-10-23-01
1502EDT
Copyright 2001 The
Associated Press.