Who is Doug Manchester?

“Papa” “Papa” Doug ManchesterDoug Manchester is the owner and developer of the Manchester Grand Hyatt and the Grand del Mar Resort in San Diego.

In January 2008, he contributed $125,000 in seed money to anti-gay campaigners in California—an early infusion of cash that paid for the signature-gathering necessary to put Proposition 8 on the ballot. His reason: “I personally believe that marriage should be between a man and a woman.”

Manchester should concern himself as much with the families of his own hotel staff. Manchester’s Hyatt reportedly forces housekeepers to clean more rooms than housekeepers at some other Hyatt hotels, while they have no job security at all if the hotel is sold. In 2006, housekeepers began lunch hour protests against working conditions, saying their room quota had been increased from 17 to 30 rooms per shift.

Work speedups increase injury rates. According to the Department of Labor, injury rates for hotel workers are 40% higher than the service sector average. Hotel housekeeper injuries are debilitating: back, knee, and shoulder injuries can lead to permanent disability. Studies have shown that unreasonable workloads are a serious occupational health issue. In a recent survey of 600 hotel housekeepers in the U.S. and Canada, 91 percent said they have suffered work-related pain and 66 percent took pain medication just to get through their daily quota.