Anbang Insurance Group has been sued by Unite Here, the
labor union representing workers at three Anbang-owned hotels in California and
Illinois, after the Chinese company didn't respond to requests for information
about its financing sources and ownership structure, the union said on
Thursday.
Unite Here said it filed federal charges for unfair labor
practices against Anbang after failing to secure a guarantee that the 1,000-plus
workers at San Francisco's Westin St. Francis, the Fairmont Chicago and the
Loews Santa Monica Beach would keep their jobs in the event that the hotels
were sold.
The union made the request after Bloomberg, citing people
familiar with the process, reported late last month that China regulators are
pressuring Anbang to sell its U.S. assets. The company and the China Insurance
Regulatory Commission have denied the report.
Anbang chairman Wu Xiaohui was in June detained by
China authorities, though the reasons behind the detention are unclear.
Anbang got the three hotels as part of its acquisition
of the Strategic Hotels and Resorts portfolio from Blackstone Group.