Management of the Pacific Beach Hotel in Waikiki will change hands on Saturday and about 90 percent of the hotel's more than 400 unionized employees will be rehired.

But many of the employees who haven't been offered jobs believe it is because of their union activity. Forty-five union workers will be laid off on Saturday and the union said that many have been actively supporting the union.

"From Day 1, when we go back five years from the time the workers sought representation from the ILWU, the hotel owner has been opposed to the workers being represented by the union and they continue to do so to this date," said Dave Mori, ILWU Local 142 O'ahu director.

Mori said the union has filed several complaints against the hotel with the National Labor Relations Board. In one complaint, the ILWU is arguing that seven members of the 11-member bargaining committee are among those being laid off.

"We're saying that's discriminatory based on their rights to actively support a union," Mori said.

Wally Zimmermann, hotel spokesman, declined to comment on the pending legal action.

He did say that 390 of the 435 hourly workers who applied for jobs were rehired, while 51 of the 58 managers who applied will continue working after Saturday.

The hotel did not say why some employees were not rehired.

The workers voted more than three years ago to be represented by ILWU Local 142, but they are still without a contract. The 837-room hotel is owned by HTH Corp., which managed the property until January, when an affiliate of Outrigger Hotels, PBH Management LLC, took over management duties.

But in August, HTH announced that it will end its contract with PBH Management effective Saturday and turn over management to Pacific Beach Corp., an affiliate of HTH. The workers were notified that they would be laid off on Dec. 1, but could reapply for their jobs.

In the nearly 12 months that Outrigger has run the hotel, the union and management have reached several tentative contract agreements, such as a medical benefit package. But it is unsure whether Pacific Beach Corp. will honor these agreements.

"We attempted to talk to the representative of the hotel, (HTH regional vice president) Robert Minicola, and his response was he's not able to meet with the union until Dec. 1," Mori said. He added that the union has not had meaningful talks with the hotel since the management switch was announced in August.

Zimmermann said the tentative agreements will be part of the negotiations.

"HTH is being very careful for legal reasons to not make comments about ongoing negotiations until they are in fact on the management side of the negotiations," Zimmermann said. "As to whether they will honor or not honor any agreements, they're just not going to comment on it."

Reach Curtis Lum at culum@honoluluadvertiser.com.