Update 05/31/2021 : WE WON !!!

Over 115 000 SumOfUs members got together and it paid off: Accorinvest, Accor, Ibis and STN have heard your demands and are finally granting dignified and decent working conditions to the courageous women working at the Ibis des Batignolles hotel.

Among other things, they’re getting a revaluation of their salary ranging from $250 to $600 per month, a slowdown of the hellish work pace that inevitably led to injuries, as well as means ensuring that overtime will be systematically paid.

After fighting for nearly 2 years and a massive push from SumOfUs members, this victory shows that fighting back against corporate giants pays off and that, together, if we never back down, we can put people over profit.

17 minutes. That’s how little time this Ibis hotel gives to its housekeepers to: ventilate a room, pick up trash, change linens, scrub the bathroom, the toilets, make the bed, dust, vacuum, mop and vacuum again.

All that, 14 to 34 times a day, for a meager salary that barely allows them to put food on the table.

It’s intolerable. Their back hurt, their feet hurt, their knees hurt, and many suffer chronic injuries. That’s why they’ve been picketing for better working conditions for the past 20 months.

One person can put an end to this inhumane situation: it’s Cédric Durand, COO for AccorInvest, which owns this Ibis hotel. AccorInvest refuses decent working conditions to the Black women workers allowing proper operation of the hotel. This needs to change!

Demand Cédric Durand to fully integrate these courageous workers to the hotel staff.

AccorInvest tries to wash its hands of the situation by arguing that these women work for STN, a subcontractor. Thus, these hardworking women ask to be fully integrated into the hotel staff and be treated like any other employees.

Ibis, brand of the Accor group -- European leader of the sector and third largest hotel group in the world which owns 30% of AccorInvest -- claims to have found solutions. The solution? A can of soda and $2.37 for lunch.

An offer that adds insult to injury for women who say they were not even given a simple bottle of water during their fast-paced working day.

Unfortunately, this isn’t the only humiliation these Black women had to suffer. They denounce harassment practices at the Ibis Batignolles hotel. Their stories are shocking: when they question their working conditions, they are told that the job center is just across the street. When they demand more respect, these women, mostly Black and immigrants, are told to go back "home" if they are not happy.

Worse still, some say they have been victims of sexual violence involving customers as well as the former hotel manager. When reporting these assaults, some claim that Ibis simply sends them a generic apology letter. A complaint has been filed and the investigation is ongoing.

Tell Cédric Durand that the ONLY SOLUTION is to fully integrate these women to the hotel staff.

We have a unique opportunity to tip the scales in the favor of these courageous women. The pressure they have been exerting on Ibis and Accor for the past 20 months has finally pushed them to open negotiations. At the same time, its direct competitor, the Louvre Hotels group, has just ended subcontracting in two of its hotels after a similar demand by housekeeping staff.

These women have waited long enough, it is time for the hotel giant to make the right decision and stop the exploitation of housekeeping staff.

Tell Cédric Durand and Ibis to give these women the respect they deserve by hiring them as core hotel staff.