935 Gravier Street 0 New Orleans, LA, 70112 0 

March 23, 2020
Dear Mr. Sawaya:

We are urgently writing to you on behalf of New Orleans hospitality workers to request that you
and the Morial Convention Center Authority Board of Directors immediately release a portion of
the Authority?s cash reserves to provide relief to all employees working for companies that
contract with the convention center, as well as the city?s broader hospitality workforce.

Hard-working people who have been essential to the success of the Morial Convention
Center?s success, from banquet servers, bartenders, cooks, and others. are being laid off and
losing desperately needed income. We are requesting that the Board re-appropriate a portion
of the more than $200 million in cash reserves to ensure all employees working for companies
contracted with the convention center continue to be compensated during the month of April
at an amount equal to each employee?s February earnings at the convention center.

While we understand these resources were previously budgeted for other priorities, we believe
there is no more urgent and dire priority than returning back to these workers a portion of the
reserves they helped produce in order to pay their bills. buy groceries. and take care of their
loved ones during this time of financial crisis.

In addition, we request the Board re-appropriate reserves for the purpose of providing relief to
the broader hospitality workforce in our city. Such a relief effort must be administered directly
to hospitality workers to provide much needed financial relief in a fair. legal, and transparent
way.

For these reasons, and to ensure maximum public accountability, we recommend no less than
$100 million in the Authority's cash reserves be transferred to an independent fund with robust
and transparent community oversight that is directly administrated to workers in need.

Please do not hesitate to act.

Sincerely,



Marlene Patrick-Cooper
President. UNITE HERE Local 23

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