Thousands Poised To Strike At Some Of Waikiki’s Biggest Hotels
The union vote could lead to a work stoppage by about 3,500 workers, including those at the Royal Hawaiian, Westin Moana Surfrider and Sheraton Waikiki.
Members of a union representing about 3,500 workers in Hawaii, most of them in Waikiki, took the first step Monday toward a massive strike at several of Honolulu鈥檚 largest properties.
About 95 percent of those voting favored authorizing a work stoppage, the union announced Monday night.
Possible strike targets include the landmark Royal Hawaiian, Westin Moana Surfrider, Sheraton Waikiki and Sheraton Princess Kaiulani, which are owned by , as well as the Waikiki Beach Marriott. The Sheraton Maui, also owned by Kyo-Ya, also could be affected.
Hotel officials had little to say in response, but issued a statement saying they had plans in place to ensure the hotels could still provide guests a good experience if workers do decide to strike.
Although the vote means union workers could walk off the job at any time, a strike authorization vote often is enough to get management to budge, said Eric Gill, financial secretary and treasurer of , which represents some 12,000 hospitality and health care workers statewide.
鈥淭he vote itself will put pressure on management,鈥 Gill said.
Local 5鈥檚 contract expired in June, and some 50 items are at issue as the parties discuss a new one, Gill said. These range from the number of rooms housekeepers must clean per shift to policies to protect workers from sexual harassment and how to retrain workers whose jobs become less crucial due to automation.
鈥淲e want to come to an agreement with Marriott, but our members are preparing for a strike if contracts are not settled soon,鈥 Gill said. 鈥淥ur proposal is to make one job enough to live in Hawaii. Marriott鈥檚 proposal is to get another job.鈥
All of the hotels in question operate under management contracts with , which acquired 聽to become the world鈥檚 largest hospitality company, with more than a million rooms operated under dozens of brands including Ritz-Carlton, St. Regis, W Hotels, Westin, Sheraton and Le Meridien.
Although Marriott manages the hotels under various brand flags, Kyo-Ya owns the bulk of them and is negotiating with the union, Gill said. Marriott executive are negotiating only for the Waikiki Marriott.
Marriott鈥檚 corporate communications staff in Oahu declined to comment. A spokeswoman for Kyo-Ya Hotels & Resorts, meanwhile, issued a short statement saying Kyo-Ya looked forward to further talks with the union.
鈥淎lthough we are in continued contract discussions with UNITE HERE Local 5, we respect the right of our associates at Kyo-ya鈥檚 five properties in Hawaii to take a strike authorization vote,鈥 said the statement attributed to Kyo-Ya.
The vote comes as tourism is booming and the unemployment rate is practically nil. Visitors to the state spent $1.66 billion in July 2018, an increase of 4.8 percent compared to the previous years, the y reported in its latest preliminary data. Hotel room rates in Waikiki have been averaging about $230 with occupancy rates hovering higher than 80 percent, according to the HTA. Meanwhile, the state鈥檚 unemployment rate of 聽means that many employers are scrambling to find and keep workers.
Hawaii鈥檚 high cost of living makes it increasingly difficult for workers to make ends meet, and Gill said that the low unemployment rate masks the fact that many people need to work multiple jobs to survive.
鈥淚t鈥檚 not booming for us,鈥 Gill said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 booming for the bosses.鈥
Thanks to cost-of-living wage increases, a union housekeeper now earns $22.14 an hour and gets health care coverage for the worker and the worker鈥檚 family, Gill said. But, he added, it鈥檚 simply not enough in a community where the . In addition, he said, many workers, like housekeepers and banquet staff, don鈥檛 get enough regularly scheduled hours to earn a living without working extra jobs.
鈥淓ven with all the increases, people are still falling behind,鈥 he said.
The union has asked for across-the-board raises of $3 an hour for all workers as a starting point for talks, Gill said, adding Kyo-Ya and Marriott haven鈥檛 made a counter-offer. Gill said he hopes the vote will send management a message.
鈥淭hey don鈥檛 really respect you unless you have power in the situation,鈥 Gill said. 鈥淚f we have the right to strike, they have to respect us.鈥
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