I was at the club Saturday for dinner while an outdoor wedding was going on. The picketers stood banging drums at first, and when asked by management to at least stop during the wedding, they did comply, for the most part. I asked a wedding guest about the noise later on, and she said that they only banged the drums a couple of times during the actual ceremony, and then started up full force again as the bride and groom walked down the aisle. Good going picketers - you're a real class act.

It seems they should have been arrested for disturbing the peace of people PAYING for a PRIVATE event. This is NOT a PUBLIC restaurant not a public chapel. They have NO right to interfere with private situations. I question this whole thing. Don't individuals have the right to gather as a group and pool their funds for private services. I don't see have the club can even fall under rules of 'public' entities....it's NOT PUBLIC. IT's group of PRIVATE citizens !! I question the abuse of private people, ON PRIVATE property. I think this should be challenged in Supreme Court...we do have individual rights as Americans. Surely this situation would not exist in some states. I think citizen rights are being violated and well worth a challenge for private citizens to POOL their money on private property...NOT an open to the public restaurant.

Interesting Data on the tactics and record of UNITEHERE!

Of course you can't beleive everything you read... but here's what I read (and it seems to be a bunch!):

UNITE HERE officials have been convicted of spying on employees by illegally obtaining DMV records and making unwanted, uninvited visits to employees’ homes

UNITE HERE officials have been convicted of defaming medical professionals and falsely scaring expectant mothers

UNITE HERE officials claim to represent workers, but have been sued for allegedly stealing the pensions of their own retired staff

These illegal actions could cost current and future members nearly $100 million in penalties and fines, threatening to bankrupt the union and prevent it from representing employees

Organizing Tactics
$17 Million Verdict Against Unite Here for "fraud, malice, and oppression"
UNITE HERE officials didn’t want Angelica employees to join the union through the normal process of organizing by holding an election with private ballots overseen by the government. Instead, union leaders decided they would pressure the company’s customer, Sutter Health to pressure Angelica to hand its employees over to UNITE HERE. How did they pressure Sutter? The union leaders turned to dirty organizing tactics: they sent a nasty postcard that told expectant mothers they should avoid the Sutter facility or their babies might become sick.

A California jury decided that UNITE HERE had to clean up its act. They convicted the union of “fraud, malice, and oppression.” They also hit the union with a $17 million verdict!

In court testimony, UNITE HERE’s top lawyer said the union would not send out the same postcard again. When asked why, he said, “Well, I could give you 16 million reasons why not actually. It is not something we’ll do again. We have changed our practices.” But later a newspaper reported a UNITE HERE spokeswoman “said the union hasn’t changed its organizing strategy since the verdict came down.”

Apparently the union’s leaders haven’t changed their aggressive organizing ways when it comes to the medical field. In February 2007, St. Mary’s Hospital in Madison, Wisconsin filed a lawsuit against UNITE HERE, stating that the union was trying to get patients to not pay their hospital bills and to sue the hospital. The union settled the lawsuit.


Spying
UNITE HERE leaders have long tried to contact employees at their homes by obtaining their DMV records – even though it seems they knew it was wrong (even illegal).

In 2006, a U.S. District judge ordered UNITE HERE to pay employees of the Cintas laundry and apparel company $2,500 each (plus attorneys’ fees and other costs) for unlawfully accessing the employees’ personal information. Union organizers in Pennsylvania had obtained the employees’ home addresses by illegally tracking license plate numbers in their DMV records. The labor leaders had used that information to make unannounced, unwanted visits to their homes and to contact family members.

The judge further noted that the union may owe Cintas employees as much as $5 million plus attorneys’ fees — which would have to be paid out of UNITE HERE members’ paychecks!

Dues Abuses
Lavish Salaries for Union Leaders
A good union represents its members well and spends their money wisely. We need your help to get UNITE HERE leaders to stop wasting their members’ money on lavish salaries – and to stop their illegal organizing tactics which are costing their current members tens of millions of dollars in legal costs and penalties.

UNITE HERE Presidents John Wilhelm and Bruce Raynor each pulled in over $248,000 last year -- ten times more than the average salary of a unionized hotel worker (according to data from the 2006 Union Membership and Earnings Databook.) The average annual salary for the fifty best-paid UNITE HERE officials is $102,000. Add on top of that generous expense accounts, and UNITE HERE’s leaders are cleaning up while their members get cleaned out.

But in recent court testimony UNITE HERE’s top lawyer tried to say that his union shouldn’t have to pay more in damages for its defamation of medical professionals because it would “cripple the organization.” He said:

We will have to layoff more workers and – I’m sorry, more of our employees and the people who will suffer really will be the workers that we represent because we won’t be able to provide them with the services that we have been able to provided them with … And, you know, the more money we have to pay out for this case, the less will be available to us and the more cuts we’ll have to make. It will cripple the organization.

Mounting Legal Bills for the Union
Consider these mounting legal bills – to be paid by current and future UNITE HERE members – for their legal offenses:

$17.3 million for defaming Sutter Health in California
As much as $5 million in statutory damages to Cintas employees for invading their privacy during an organizing campaign
As-yet-undetermined attorneys’ fees for those Cintas employees
As much as $74 million that could be ordered to be paid to its own former employees who have seen their life insurance benefits slashed to almost nothing

The comment from the Vintage Hills resident hit it spot on...

UNITEHERE: You're a real class act.

Economic times are hitting us hard. These "contract incidents" are on the rise across all hospitality and food service areas, retail, merchandising, real estate, union and non union related. I am not claiming doom here, but its obvious if you pick up newspapers from across the US, most states have these incidents and crime rates rising. Pressure is clearly mounting.

America's business IS business. Business is NOT run on social niceties, rituals, should-do's but on profit. I would not like my business subjected to this type of intrusion. I feel for the country club. I may not have enough money to join a country club, but at least I respect the owner's ability to run their own show.

Pleasanton in the news: Web Link

Please do not forget how our Pleasanton Mayor and City Council , except for 2 members, inappropriatedly inserted themselves into this labor dispute and took 1 side over the other. They were way out of line.

Frankly, they are incumbents and have been there way too long. We should vote them ALL out of office. They have wasted City money and have played politics and catered to the special interests way too long. Time to take back our city government. Next election NO INCUMBENTS!!!

The clubs reputation is waaaaaaaaaaaaaay damaged, nobody wants to go there!

I just went there for a banquet. The club was great. Food was decent, staff was good and the band was above average. great setting and nice place

Cholo, for a place that has a damaged reputation they sure are selling a lot of memberships! You have no idea what you are talking about...

Castlewood just needs to fire all the union workers. They would have no problem getting replacements.

The voters of Pleasanton need to fire the Mayor and the two Council members that stuck there big left-wing-loon noses into the situtation - a place where they didn't belong. Of course, there are another dozen good reason why the voters should fire that trio. In the meantime, note NO on D.

I saw a teamsters bus on the corner of Foothill and Castlewood this AM where the picketers were doing their thing. Two years of picketing and then it will be over.

As a member of Castlewood CC for many years I do not want to see any of the striking workers who are on the picket line back here at CCC.
They are not smart enough to see the writing on the wall. Unions are a thing of the past. Union leaders are only after the dues and don't care how they get them. Look at the Fremont auto Factory. The Union there did a job on the company and now they are unemployed. Why don't our former Castlewood workers get smart. The free ride is over.

Yes the teamsters bus is there probably parked illegally. I could not easily get in and out of Castlewood this morning becoz the new group of thugs are marching back and forth over Foothill Road deliberately blocking traffic. Cars were honking their horns. We are trying to get to work, get kids to schools etc. Two sherrif cars observed all this. I had been told by an Alameda sergeant that the picketers "cannot impede the flow of traffic" but this morning's officer said they can as long as they "keep moving". Bicyclists and cars can be cited for impeding traffic flow and they "are moving" so I don't believe this.
These picketers are deliberately moving slowly back and forth between the four stop signs so that cars are backed up Foothill Road waiting for them to cross. Then a new group starts crossing the road. It is dangerous and drivers are pissed. The only intent of crossing the road is to impede traffic. Yup. They're a class act. I wish the sherrif would get them back on the sidewalk.

Could it be the sheriffs are not interested in performing their responsibility to uphold the law on behalf of the taxpayers/citizens of Alameda County because they are members of a union? Like possibly the ACSO 1198?

These picketers are not breaking any laws by crossing the road. Get over yourself!

To Dark Corners & Clueless:
Dark Corners, your observation is correct. The county attorney and several supervisors (election year) have made it clear that they need whatever union votes they can garner. To this end, they have made it clear to the county sheriffs that the union protestor do not have to abide by the "letter of the law" in their demonstrations. Invasion of private property, impeding traffic flow, excessive noise, etc activities not be, in this situation, enforced. Since the sheriffs are all members of a union, they have both stated and acted differently to their union brothers.

Now, let a group of private citizens try such stunts, the county jail would be just minutes away. Try parking your $500,000 recreational vehicle on the corner of Foothill and Castlewood Drive during rush hour and see how long it would take for the vehicle to be ticketed and towed. Just like the sheriffs did this morning with the Teamster vehicle.

But then again, as Clueless reminds us, the picketers were "not breaking the law"!! They were just impeding traffic flow by marching through the intersection and illegally parking their oversized recreational vehicle adjacent to this intersection. All in the name of equality for their members. A real class act at work using 1970's tactics.

SEIU mob protested on the very lawn of a Bank of America executive last week while the DC police escorted and protected them. A family member was in the house as this mob trampled on the private property all the way up to the door! Nothing was done to stop it because the police said if they intervened they might "incite" the crowd. The brown shirt tactics of the unions are becoming frightening. I feel for the homeowners in Castlewood who do not even belong to the club, but fear that the behavior of some of the paid thugs will be directed at them and turn ugly.

Banging drums is not working.
City council resolution is not working.
Torrico's harassment of CCC is not working.
Harassment of CCC leadership is not working.
Hunger strike is not working.
It's day 85.
What will they think of next?

Dear former CCC employees:
Here's the message that you're union roaches won't deliver.
You are no longer welcome at CCC and you won't be coming back ever so find a new job. You blew it when you believed that the union could harass a private club and it's members. You blew it when you believed that we could not operate without you. You blew it when you believed that some self-serving union roach manager had your best interest in mind.

It's over. Start making something of yourselves instead of pretending that others will take care of you. Grow up and find a job. You're not coming back. That's a guarantee.

Sigh. Oh, for the days when the squires could pour boiling oil and gouge out the eyes of troublesome peasants with red-hot pokers.

Why did we ever do away with feudalism, anyway? If that system was good enough for Europe in the 13th century, damn it, IT'S GOOD ENOUGH FOR PLEASANTON.

As for the union protestors? LET THEM EAT CAKE.

'The Other Side' is right. For months they have parked illegally all around Foothill and Sunol in places where the rest of us would be ticketed or towed. They even barbecue on a Weber about six feet from the train tracks ! Could any of us get away with that? The police are turning a blind eye. The first time they appeared and were blocking Foothill to the tune of 15 cars backed up trying to get kids to school I asked a sherrif and he said "You will just have to get out of bed 20 minutes earlier to get your kids to school. " Nice.
As for 'Clueless'.. so why are they crossing the road anyway? to deliver dry cleaning? to get their hair cut? Nope just to deliberately
back the traffic up and piss everyone off. In that alone..... they are successful.

Heck! If I feel like crossing the road, any road, a hundred times over for no purpose other than because I feel like it, what is wrong with that? I have every right to do so just as you do, so deal with it. Get your lazy rear out of bed 20 mins earlier next time. LOL!

If the cops aren't enforcing the law, take it up with the AC Sheriff. Anyone can choose to park illegal as long as they are willing to put up with the consequences. It's not the picketers' fault that the cops there turn a blind eye. Maybe some of them are just more understanding and compassionate than others like you know who

Hey Clueless !..... Love your name ! Good choice, buddy !

Where's Bull Connor with his firehoses and German Shepherds when you need him? He'd know how to handle those uppity proles.

Sue the Whiner ~ send your children to the picket line they just may learn something

Thomas Paineful the Victim of Schoolyard Bullying ~ get a life and a job

Where's Tanya Harding when somebody needs her?

I feel sorry for the folks on strike. They don't have the numbers to be on strike.

A three day hunger strike? Sounds more like a fad diet to me.

Its time for the ex employees to move on. Nobody cares.

Would like to see the results from the rank and file vote to the final offer!!!!!!!!!!!!!! VOTE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Talk to me after rank and file have voted!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I presume you mean rank and file CCC Members - but Club won't show them their their offer so they cannot vote on it.

Larry
You're full of it once again. The Club has made a final offer and the employees know what is in it since they sat at the bargining table when it was submitted. It is the UNION that will not allow the offer to be voted upon. You keep putting out false information.

The lockout is now 100 days and counting. How was that Pleasanton City Council resolution thingy for ya? Did it help? No more hunger strikes? Next announced protest march is June 12? Why not tomorrow? Lack of interest?
Go Castlewood!

Larry, all I can say is, WOW!!!!!!!!! How long have you pretended to be a member of the Union? Please stop playing people and have rank and file vote the contract presented to them. From that vote we will all truly know where the we stand in these negotiations. It was my misunderstanding that the union represents the majority vote? Walking a demonstration line for twelve members. What a joke.

There is a protest march everyday, do you wanna come and march with us? We need extra help with more drums that we just got so we can make more noice.

One thing is for sure, the Club didn't any idea what they were doing when they started the lockout, now when the employees come back (they are coming back and that is a fact), I'm sorry for those filthy rich that are going to have to deal with it; the Union will be also coming back more stronger than ever. Perhaps the Union should thank the arrogant board of directors, they did them a favor because now it doesn't matter if a hotel or another place try to do a lockout; now they now that can end like Castlewood country club. What can be felt for that place if not feel sorry for them? Who would like to become a member there? Its funny how members can be so ignorant, they are happy because they are selling a couple of memberships? 5 or 6 years ago it used to cost more than 45k, 2 or 3 years ago about 25k to 30k and now it only cost 12k. At this rate by December probably it will cost less than 4k; even a person that works for a minimum wage if save enough money could become a member, tell me that is not great. HURRAH for the members. HURRAH

12k for a full membership, GO Castlewood!!! HURRAH for you!!!!