subscribesubscriber servicescontact usabout ussite mapBuy a Classified
Tue, May 13 2008 

Published April 07, 2008 10:26 pm - Officials for The Greenbrier say a “significant amount of revenue” has been lost this year due to the possibility of a union walkout and several longtime clients have canceled their meetings and booked their conventions elsewhere.


Resort reports business slump
Reservations drop at The Greenbrier

By Christian Giggenbach
THE REGISTER-HERALD (BECKLEY, W.V.)

WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, W.Va.

Officials for The Greenbrier say a “significant amount of revenue” has been lost this year due to the possibility of a union walkout and several longtime clients have canceled their meetings.

This cooling of the county’s primary economic engine — which normally boasts an annual payroll of $86 million — has resulted in widespread economic uncertainty among the resort’s 1,600 employees, local businesses, organizations and others fiscally linked to The Greenbrier. Some in the area say the impact won’t be as great.

Lynn Swann, the resort’s director of public relations, said Greenbrier officials and the Council of Labor Unions are “continuing to negotiate to achieve a collective bargaining agreement.”

The union’s nine labor contracts and master agreement all expired Jan. 31 and about 1,100 union employees have been working under the terms of their old agreement after a 28-day contract extension ended in February.

Swann said several top clients have already canceled their usual spring and summer bookings, which also means less work for resort employees. The hotel is owned by the Jacksonville, Fla.-based railroad giant CSX Corp.

Swann declined to specify how many employees are currently working or how much revenue the 229-year-old resort has already lost. However, County Commissioner Lowell Rose said he has heard reports the hotel is down about $9 million in revenue so far, and that number is increasing daily.

- - -

Harold Bock, spokesman for the Council of Labor Unions, which represents all nine hotel unions, confirmed that talks have continuously been bogged down over The Greenbrier’s insistence to roll back health insurance and pension plan benefits.

Bock said, “the company is trying to eliminate insurance for large numbers of employees, freeze their pension plans and also eliminate all their fringe benefits that employees have accrued over the years with holidays and vacations.”

He also attempted to debunk what he characterized as “rumors” that union members were unreasonably asking for more than their fair share at the table. “The struggle is not about the union asking for too much,” he said. “But the struggle is to maintain what we currently have.”

The downturn in business has already hurt Duane Zobrist, president of Greenbrier Limousine and Greenbrier Outfitters, both located in the Spa City.

“I’m scared to death. I’ve sacrificed a lot to build these businesses that are tied to The Greenbrier and the current state of affairs scares me,” Zobrist said.

The resort’s biggest client, the Council of Insurance Agents and Brokers, confirmed Friday its cancellation of two large May bookings with the hotel and transferred them to The Homestead, in Virginia.



print this story    email this story    comment on this story   

Click to discuss this story with other readers on our forums.




monster
wheels
Premier Guide
Find a business

Walking Fingers
Maps, Menus, Store hours, Coupons, and more...
Premier Guide


Find a job! Find a Home! Find a car!

Premier Guide

Premium Jobs

1489-Apartment Manager
Live on site. Experience preferred and some apartment preparation skills required. Call 918-682-0994....>MORE

1490-Auto Body Technicians
Experienced auto body techs needed NOW! We Offer A Great Benefits Package And Top Pay. Lake Country Chevrolet. Call 918-...>MORE

1475-Registration Clerk
The Chickasaw Nation Health Systems is accepting applications for the following: Registration Clerk. For a description o...>MORE

1420-Warehouse Delivery Driver
WAREHOUSE Delivery Driver needed for busy medical company. Experience preferred. Fax resume to 918-686-0345, attn: Kyle....>MORE

1461-Sales Career/Management
SALES CAREER/Management Opportunities
We are a Midwest based company with a new division that is exploding Nationa
...>MORE

1483-Salesperson
SALESPERSON wanted for a fast growing Toyota Dealership. We offer a great pay plan, Insurance and 401K Applicant must: h...>MORE

1460-Driver
Need driver for transporting clients to and from appointments. Job requirements: good driving record, background & drug ...>MORE

1494-Personal Care Assistant
Seeking mature & dependable Personal Care Assistant in the Oktaha, Checotah and Hitchita Areas. $7.50 per hour. Call Mar...>MORE

667- General
Do you have a Star Smile? Strong, Success-Driven, Local Achievers Wanted. Will Train. Transportation Provided for Muskog...>MORE

1465-Cosmetologist
Cosmetologist wanted. Available Booth. Hair, Nail & Microderm. For info please call 918-577-2482....>MORE

1471-Drivers
Truck Drivers - $1500 sign-on! $850 week minimum guaranteed! *2/mi raise after 90 days, Midwest / No East coast. Require...>MORE

1474-Administrator
Needs to be good with people and have computer skills. Salary commensurate with experience - $7.00 to $10.00/hr. Fax res...>MORE

See all ads


 

Community Newspaper Holdings, Inc.CNHI Classified Advertising NetworkCNHI News Service
Associated Press content © 2008. All rights reserved. AP content may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Our site is powered by Zope and our Internet Yellow Pages site is powered by PremierGuide.
Some parts of our site may require you to download the Flash Player Plugin.
View our Privacy Policy
Advertiser index

rc