Hotel workers union cancels Hilton contract

By James Gonser
Advertiser Urban Honolulu Writer

Local 5 of the Hotel Employees and Restaurant Employees Union, which already canceled its contract with the four Waikiki Sheraton hotels this week, canceled its contract with the Hilton Hawaiian Village on Wednesday, giving the union the freedom to picket the properties.

Eric Gill, financial secretary-treasurer at Local 5, said talks with the Hilton will continue, but the contract was canceled because the union objects to the pace of talks with company officials.

"The contract restricts our economic actions against the company," Gill said. "We may do all kinds of stuff. We might picket the place. We might do some civil disobedience. We are going to do everything we can to make them realize they have to settle this. "

The Hilton has about 1,500 workers represented by the Local 5 which also represents about 2,500 workers at the four Waikiki Sheraton hotels — the Sheraton Moana Surfrider, the Princess Kaiulani, the Sheraton Waikiki and the Royal Hawaiian — which are operated by Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide.

Peter Schall, the managing director of the Hilton Hawaiian Village, could not be reached for comment yesterday.

In past years, the major Waikiki hotel companies have negotiated as a group with Local 5. This is the first year the hotels are negotiating separately. Local 5 is in talks with the Sheraton hotels, the Hilton Hawaiian Village and the Hyatt Regency Waikiki. Negotiations are expected to continue despite the contracts being canceled.

The union says it has several major contract issues with all of the hotels, including the increased workload that employees have had to assume because of job cuts when business dropped after the Sept. 11 attacks; job security provisions; and wage and benefit improvements.

Reach James Gonser at jgonser@honoluluadvertiser.com or 535-2431.