Union prepares
to strike as hotel
talks continue

Negotiations stretch into their
second consecutive night

---

By Lyn Danninger and Tim Ruel
ldanninger@starbulletin.com
truel@starbulletin.com

Negotiations between the hotel workers union and Sheraton hotels in Waikiki broke off about 10:30 last night as union members and staff prepared for a possible strike.

Both sides are expected to go back to the bargaining table today after some progress was made last night, according to Jason Ward, researcher for the Hotel Employees & Restaurant Employees union Local 5.

About a dozen union members had already completed 730 picket signs by 7 p.m. at Local 5 strike headquarters on Kapiolani Boulevard.

Another 20 people were expected to arrive later in the evening to help with preparations, union officials said.

Workers planned to finish 1,000 signs by midnight and 1,600 by 4 a.m., said Richard Loyd, a Local 5 staff member.

Food preparations were also under way at strike headquarters after a trip to Costco to stock up.

"We've got peanut butter, jelly, cans of tuna and 15 urns of coffee, 15 water jugs and a whole lot of bread, so we're gearing up," Loyd said.

Likewise, schedules and assignments for picket lines were completed earlier in the day, Loyd said.

"We have made some progress on some issues, but we're a long, long way off on some other very key issues," said Ward.

Union members at strike headquarters anticipated a late finish to negotiations, based on past contracts. "Eighteen months ago, it was 4 a.m.," Loyd said.

Four thousand union members have authorized a strike against Hilton Hawaiian Village and Sheraton. 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, when members went on strike for 22 days.

Tuesday, 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 cheaper 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 less than $7.50, according to Local 5.

Local 5 wants an end to subcontracting.

The negotiations have been especially noisy this year, 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.