The president of UNITE
HERE, the hotel and restaurant workers union, along with some Hyatt hotel
workers, will be at the Senate Commerce Committee nomination hearing for the president's
choice for Commerce Secretary, Penny Pritzker, to protest the pick, according
to the union.
Pritzker is an heir to the Hyatt Hotels fortune and a
director of the company. The workers are unsatisfied with wages and working
conditions at the Hyatt chain.
As Commerce chair, Pritzker would oversee the National
Telecommunications and Information Administration, which is working with the
FCC on freeing up spectrum for wireless. NTIA oversees government spectrum
holders much as FCC does the private sector.
Pritzker is succeeding acting secretary Rebecca Blank.
Commerce Secretary John Bryson resigned almost a year ago. She was finance
chair of the president's 2008 campaign.
She is the fifth person nominated for Commerce secretary
by the president during his tenure in office. Bill Richardson and Judd Gregg
were the first two picks, but both wound up withdrawing from consideration,
followed by Gary Locke, who got the job and served until being named ambassador
to China in 2011. Bryson replaced him, but resigned for health reasons.
