Boycott set at Turtle Bay Resort
By B.J. Reyes
Associated Press
Some 250 unionized hotel workers planned to launch a consumer boycott of the Turtle Bay Resort last night over stalled negotiations on a contract that expired in 1999.
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Union members in July overwhelming authorized the boycott but delayed action because of progress in the contract talks, said Jason Ward, a spokesman for Local 5 of the Hotel Employees and Restaurant Employees International Union.
Union members have been working under an expired contract at the Turtle Bay Resort since early 1999.
A spokeswoman for the resort on O'ahu's North Shore said the company was continuing to work with the union and did not expect a boycott.
The contract expired Feb. 28, 1999, but was continually extended while the resort underwent several management changes, Ward said. The former Hilton property now is owned by Los Angeles-based Oaktree Capital Management LLC and managed by Benchmark Hospitality based in The Woodlands, Texas.
Union officials notified the resort Monday night that the latest extension was being canceled. The boycott was scheduled to begin at 10 last night.
As part of the boycott, union members intended to tell potential guests about their dissatisfaction with the pace of negotiations.
"In short, we're basically trying to take business away from the hotel," Ward said.
According to Ward, the two sides are not very far apart. He said management had agreed to increase contributions to maintain workers' health and pension benefits and provide 35-cent-an-hour pay increases in the second and third years of the contract. The union is seeking protections against job losses from subcontracting and consolidation of positions.
