Photo courtesy San Francisco Convention & Visitors Bureau

The San Francisco Multi-Employer Group—a group of 14 hotels including such landmark properties as the Fairmont, Four Seasons and Westin St. Francis—last week blasted a counteroffer by striking Local 2 to resolve the nearly year-old labor dispute.

The hotel group said the union’s counteroffer “failed to address any of the significant issues affecting hotel employees.” The statement added, “Today’s [Aug. 10] proposal by union leadership shows a lack of respect for us, our employees and the people of San Francisco.”

Local 2 of Unite Here wants a contact that expires in 2006, which would align with contracts of its sister unions in major cities including Los Angeles, Chicago, Atlanta and Boston. Such a change would make it harder for hotel chains to snuff out local job actions by moving personnel into affected cities.

The dispute has put a crimp into San Francisco’s meetings business, with convention groups including the American Software Foundation and International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans calling off plans to meet in the city next year. Unite Here has targeted meeting planners to urge them to avoid San Francisco.