Housekeepers picket
Local 5 headquarters

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Star-Bulletin staff

Hotel union leader Eric Gill's long-standing opposition to the subcontracting of hotel jobs to companies has drawn fire from a cleaning company.

The issue comes as the Hotel Employees and Restaurant Employees Local 5 is headed for a strike authorization vote on Tuesday against Hilton and Sheraton. The union is negotiating contracts with the hotels.

Team Clean supporters staged an informational picket Tuesday afternoon in front of Local 5 headquarters in Waikiki.

In a statement, employees of subcontractor Team Clean Inc. said they were told four months ago by Local 5 business representatives that Local 5 would support the company's contract.

But, according to Team Clean, Gill has "vowed to have Team Clean and all of its employees thrown out of the hotel industry here in Hawaii, resulting in the potential loss of over 225 badly needed jobs in the islands."

Gill, who could not be reached for comment yesterday, has reportedly denied the accusation. In recent union elections, Gill has consistently and publicly fought against subcontracting.

The company's employees are dues-paying members of Local 5, but are generally paid less than hotel employees. One classification of housekeeper starts at $11.56 an hour for Team Clean, while Local 5 members start at $12.77 under the expired contract with Waikiki hotels. Plus, Team Clean employees have no paid holidays.