Posted at 7:28 p.m., Wednesday, August 9, 2006
Hotel workers to take strike authorization vote
By Dan Nakaso
Workers at four Shearaton hotels in Waikiki and the Hilton Hawaiian Village will vote on Aug. 23 whether to give union negotiators the ability to call for a strike during on-going contract negotiations.Representatives of the hotels and UNITE HERE! Local 5, the union representing 2,500 workers at the Sheraton and 1,600 at the Hilton HawaiianVillage, met Monday and Tuesday and are scheduled to resume talks next week.
Union members are scheduled to vote at the Neal Blaisdell Center on whether to authorize a strike.
"If we get stuck, then we can call a strike," said Eric Gill, Local 5's financial secretary-treasurer. "We will continue to bargain, but it puts additional pressure on the bargaining."
