Sheraton, Local 5 Negotiations between the hotel workers union and Sheraton hotels in Waikiki were scheduled to resume this morning after talks last night ended after 3 a.m., a union spokesman said.
still talking
By Tim Ruel
truel@starbulletin.com"We have made some progress on some issues but we're a long long way off on some other very key issues," said Jason Ward, researcher for the Hotel Employees & Restaurant Employees union Local 5.
Four thousand union members have authorized a strike against Hilton Hawaiian Village and Sheraton, though no strike had been called as of this morning. Local 5, led by Eric Gill, plans to negotiate with Sheraton as long as talks make progress, and negotiations with Hilton will wait, Ward said. Local 5 has not had a major strike since 1990.
Yesterday, a Chicago hotel workers union and hotel companies avoided a strike by reaching a tentative agreement on a new contract that calls for a raise of $3.27 an hour over four years.
A major dispute in the Hawaii negotiations has been subcontracting, the hotel practice of hiring companies that provide cheap labor. Hilton and Sheraton hotel housekeepers have wages of $12.77, while workers at subcontractor Team Clean Inc. who do the same work have an average wage of less than $7.50, according to Local 5. Local 5 wants an end to subcontracting.
The negotiations this year have been especially noisy, in part because of events away from the bargaining table, including mold damage in Hilton's Kalia Tower and a power struggle within Local 5.
