Posted at 7:52 p.m., Friday, September 20, 2002
Workers at 5 hotels ratify new contracts
Advertiser Staff
Workers at five Waikiki hotels tonight voted nearly unanimously to ratify four-year contracts covering about 4,000 workers of Local 5 of the Hotel Employees and Restaurant Employees Union.Hilton Hawaiian Village workers voted 517-3 in favor of the contract. Workers at four Sheraton properties the Sheraton Waikiki, Princess Ka'iulani, Moana Surfrider and Royal Hawaiian voted 657-1 in favor, the union reported.
Local 5 leader Eric Gill said the union will now focus on securing the same contracts at the Hyatt Regency Waikiki, Renaissance Ilikai and Ala Moana Hotel. Those hotels have a total of about 1,300 Local 5 members.
"We have three more contracts to settle with Waikiki hotels," Gill said in a written statement. "The standard agreement has been reached with the Sheratons and the Hilton and now these other hotels need to do what is right for their employees."
The new contracts protect workers' jobs if a hotel is sold, and limits any further subcontracting of union jobs, the Local 5 statement said.
Local 5 and Sheraton management reached an agreement on a new contract Sept. 9. The union reached its agreement with Hilton the following day. Tonight's vote was held at Blaisdell Center.
