CRAIG T. KOJIMA / CKOJIMA@STARBULLETIN.COM Local 5 leader Eric Gill rallied workers yesterday to gain public support for upcoming negotiations with Waikiki hotels.

Hotel workers seek
support for talks

They say hotels keep staff low,
despite a rebound in tourism

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By Lyn Danninger
ldanninger@starbulletin.com

Around 1,000 Waikiki hotel workers gathered yesterday at Kawaihao Church with members of the clergy and the community to ask for greater public support in negotiations with major Waikiki hotels.

Held on May Day, which commemorates the international workers campaign for an eight-hour day, yesterday's event was billed as Solidarity Day. It was organized by the Hotel Employees and Restaurant Employees Local 5, which represents the Waikiki workers.

Immediately after Sept. 11, many Waikiki workers either lost jobs or had their hours cut. Local 5 Financial Secretary-Treasurer Eric Gill said the union believes that the hotels are now taking advantage of worker concessions made during that time and is concerned that the pattern will continue during upcoming negotiations.

"Generally what our workers feel is that their patriotism and willingness to sacrifice for the company has been taken advantage of," Gill said.

Since room rates and hotel occupancy have now picked up, the hotels are trying to maximize profits by cutting staff and hours while expecting the same workload and, in some cases, mandating overtime, Gill and others said at the rally.

The move by hotels is short-sighted, Gill said. Exhausted workers do little for an industry that relies on image and quality customer service, he said.

Workers who spoke at the rally talked about what has been happening in their hotels since Sept. 11.

"They are cutting back hours even if occupancy is up. People are not replaced if they leave so everything is a short cut," said Audrey Gecain, who works at the Sheraton Waikiki Hotel. "If they can cut costs at any cost they will do it."

Anecita Ugale lost a long-time housekeeping job when the former Hawaiian Waikiki Beach was sold. She now works at the Renaissance Ilikai Hotel. She's hopeful workers at other hotels will get their jobs back. "We lost our security and our community all at once," Ugale said. "I was out of a job for six months."

"If I could turn back time, I would make sure our union fought for better job security," she said.

From the clergy, the words they spoke to workers who attended the rally were about justice and fairness on the job. "We felt we had to stand with them," said the Rev. Vaughn Beckham, senior pastor at Honolulu's First Christian Church.