Workers to picket hotels

By Susan Hooper
Advertiser Staff Writer

Contract talks are continuing between the union representing workers at the Hilton Hawaiian Village and the four Sheraton Waikiki hotels, despite the union's cancellation of contracts with the companies. But the union is stepping up pressure on hotel management, including picketing the properties.

Jason Ward, a spokesman for Local 5 of the Hotel Employees and Restaurant Employees Union, said the union is scheduled to meet with Sheraton officials on July 18 and Hilton officials on July 19.

Local 5, representing 1,500 workers at the Hilton Hawaiian Village, canceled its contract with the hotel on Wednesday, less than a week after canceling its contract with the four Sheraton Waikiki hotels.

Local 5 represents about 2,500 workers at the Waikiki Sheratons. The union canceled its contract with the four Sheraton hotels on June 28.

Union officials have said they canceled the contracts with the Hilton Hawaiian Village and the Sheratons because they objected to the pace of negotiations.

Robert Katz, a negotiator for the Waikiki Sheraton hotels and the Hilton Hawaiian Village, described talks between the Hilton and the unions as "going slowly."

However, he said, "If the past is any standard, I think we're actually going quicker than we have in the last two or three negotiations."

Hotel management and the union held contract talks in 1995, 1998 and 2000, he said.

Asked if he was concerned about the union canceling the Sheraton and the Hilton contracts, Katz said: "I can only go by what the union has said, which is that they don't intend this to be construed as notice they're going on strike.

"However, the industry is very concerned about how this is going to be perceived by its customers and its wholesalers... ," he said.

"This is definitely going to undermine the efforts the hotels have been making to increase business to Hawaii and to the hotels, and it's going to impact the work opportunities of our employees."

Canceling the contract gives the union freedom to picket the Hilton, and the union plans to conduct informational picketing there on July 17, Ward said.

The union plans to picket the Sheraton Waikiki and the Royal Hawaiian on Tuesday, as well as pass out informational leaflets downtown that day.

About 500 people took part in informational picketing by Local 5 outside the Sheraton Moana Surfrider and the Sheraton Princess Kaiulani on Wednesday afternoon.

Under federal law, many of the terms of the contract remain in effect during contract negotiations, including wage agreements, medical benefits and job rules, union officials have said.

Local 5 has been in contract talks with the four Sheraton Waikiki hotels and the Hilton Hawaiian Village since April. The union began talks with the Hyatt Regency Waikiki in June. The Renaissance 'Ilikai Waikiki and the Ala Moana Hotel also are scheduled to hold contract talks with Local 5 this year, but those sessions have not begun.

In past years, the major Waikiki hotels have negotiated as a group with Local 5. This is the first year the hotels are negotiating separately.

Union representatives have said they have several major contract issues with all of the hotels, including the increased workload employees have had to assume because of job cuts when business dropped after the Sept. 11 attacks; job security provisions such as an assurance that the union will remain in place if the hotel is sold and that non-union subcontractors in hotel operations will be limited; and wage and benefit improvements.