Two former employees of the historic Thayer Hotel at West Point claim they were fired for trying to organize a union, allegations the hotel denies as a federal labor case moves forward.

The International Union of Operating Engineers Local 30 has filed both a petition seeking to represent the hotel’s engineering department and an unfair labor practice charge with the National Labor Relations Board, alleging the hotel unlawfully fired two workers because of their union activity.

“A group of engineers came together and exercised their fundamental legal rights to join a union, and two of those workers that were leading that effort were fired within 72 hours of management becoming aware,” said Andres Puerta, director of special projects for IUOE Local 30.

Puerta said no other employees at the hotel are currently represented by a union.

One of the former engineers, who asked News 12 to conceal his identity, said he worked at the hotel for about six months before he and several coworkers began discussing unionizing this spring. He said he was fired in May, just days after talking with coworkers about joining the union.

He said workers were seeking better pay, safer working conditions and a greater voice on the job. Among their concerns, he said, were being assigned to work on cooling towers without proper personal protective equipment and deteriorating conditions in parts of the engineering department.

“We need better conditions,” he said. “We have no voice at all.”

He claims several coworkers signed union authorization cards after those conversations. He said he spoke with one employee on a Saturday and was fired the following Monday.

The former worker said management told him he was being terminated because he did not have a required driver’s license.

However, he disputes that explanation and shared a copy of his probationary performance review with News 12. The review, dated about a month before his termination, says he demonstrated strengths in communication and generally worked well with coworkers while identifying several areas needing improvement, including follow-through, task execution and compliance with operational procedures.

The review also directed him to resolve issues with his driving privileges and extended his probation by an additional 60 days, giving him until July 1 to provide documentation verifying his driving privileges and meet the company’s insurability requirements rather than recommending termination.

The former engineer also shared photos he says show leaking pipes and deteriorating conditions in the engineering office. He also claimed workers were instructed to perform maintenance on cooling towers without proper personal protective equipment.

“This isn’t just about wages and benefits,” Puerta said. “These aren’t reasons. They’re excuses. What management did was trample on their rights to silence them when the only thing they were fighting for was a voice at work.”

The Thayer Hotel, which is owned by a group of West Point graduates, denied the allegations in a statement to News 12. The hotel said it is proud of its nearly 100-year history and more than 200 employees, confirmed the union has filed both a representation petition and an unfair labor practice charge with the National Labor Relations Board, and said it is cooperating with the agency’s investigation. Because the matter is pending, the hotel said it will have no further comment.

The hotel did not specifically address the former employee’s claims about his probationary review or driver’s license.

The former employee also said he has been unable to collect unemployment benefits because, he claims, the hotel cited the licensing issue as the reason for his termination. News 12 has not independently verified that claim.

The labor case remains pending before the National Labor Relations Board.