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Solidarity Begins to Go Nationwide
More than 4,000 workers are locked out in SF in their struggle against the multinational hotel chains that are trying to take away their healthcare (while only offering only a measly $.05 raise to tipped and $.20 raise to non-tipped employees). Fellow workers in Hawaii are honoring their picket lines against the Starwood chain, which owns the Sheraton Palace and St. Francis hotels here. This is what needs to continue happening to strengthen working class struggles against global capitalists. Spreading these fights nationally and internationally is the only way we can beat these multimillionaire bosses.
CHEERS TO THE SOLIDARITY OF THE HAWAIIAN HOTEL WORKERS!
CHEERS TO THE SOLIDARITY OF THE HAWAIIAN HOTEL WORKERS!
Honolulu, October 29 -- Shortly after 3 am this morning, a group
of locked out hotel workers from the Sheraton Palace hotel in
San Francisco began picketing the employee entrance of the
Sheraton Waikiki and Royal Hawaiian hotels. Currently 4,000
hotel workers, members of UNITE HERE Local 2, have been
locked-out by 14 hotels in San Francisco.
UNITE HERE Local 5, which represents the workers at all four
Sheratons in Waikiki, informed management that the picket was a
lawful picket line and had been approved by Local 5. Based on
Local 5's contract language, union members at the two hotels
have the right to respect the picket line without being
disciplined.
"We expect the vast majority of workers to respect Local 2's
picket line" said Eric Gill, Local 5's Financial
Secretary-Treasurer. "Our members know that Local 2's fight is
our fight. If hotel workers in San Francisco are forced to pay
for their medical coverage then we will be next. Our members in
Hawaii also support the efforts of hotel workers in San
Francisco, Los Angeles and Washington DC to negotiate contracts
that expire in 2006, when our contract expires."
The Sheraton Palace in San Francisco, as are the four Sheratons
in Waikiki and the Sheraton Maui, is owned by Kyo-Ya Co. Ltd.
and operated by Starwood. Due to a lack of progress in talks for
a city-wide hotel contract, Local 2 struck four downtown hotels
for a limited 2-week period. The other 10 hotels, including the
Sheraton Palace, who are part of the San Francisco
Multi-Employer Group chose to lock-out their employees. The
Multi-Employer Group has extended the lock-out at all 14 hotels
beyond the two week strike, which would have ended October 13.
"The Sheratons in Hawaii have been sending non-union staff to be
strike breakers at the Sheraton Palace in San Francisco" said
Hernando Tan, Local 5's President. "They entered into the fight
in San Francisco, so they should not be surprised that that
fight followed them back to Hawaii."
To find out where hotel employees are on strike, prevented from
going to work by their employer, or potentially affected by a
labor dispute, visit our free Hotel & Casino Guide at
http://www.HotelLaborAdvisor.info . You can also search the Guide to
find alternative hotels "safe" from labor unrest.
of locked out hotel workers from the Sheraton Palace hotel in
San Francisco began picketing the employee entrance of the
Sheraton Waikiki and Royal Hawaiian hotels. Currently 4,000
hotel workers, members of UNITE HERE Local 2, have been
locked-out by 14 hotels in San Francisco.
UNITE HERE Local 5, which represents the workers at all four
Sheratons in Waikiki, informed management that the picket was a
lawful picket line and had been approved by Local 5. Based on
Local 5's contract language, union members at the two hotels
have the right to respect the picket line without being
disciplined.
"We expect the vast majority of workers to respect Local 2's
picket line" said Eric Gill, Local 5's Financial
Secretary-Treasurer. "Our members know that Local 2's fight is
our fight. If hotel workers in San Francisco are forced to pay
for their medical coverage then we will be next. Our members in
Hawaii also support the efforts of hotel workers in San
Francisco, Los Angeles and Washington DC to negotiate contracts
that expire in 2006, when our contract expires."
The Sheraton Palace in San Francisco, as are the four Sheratons
in Waikiki and the Sheraton Maui, is owned by Kyo-Ya Co. Ltd.
and operated by Starwood. Due to a lack of progress in talks for
a city-wide hotel contract, Local 2 struck four downtown hotels
for a limited 2-week period. The other 10 hotels, including the
Sheraton Palace, who are part of the San Francisco
Multi-Employer Group chose to lock-out their employees. The
Multi-Employer Group has extended the lock-out at all 14 hotels
beyond the two week strike, which would have ended October 13.
"The Sheratons in Hawaii have been sending non-union staff to be
strike breakers at the Sheraton Palace in San Francisco" said
Hernando Tan, Local 5's President. "They entered into the fight
in San Francisco, so they should not be surprised that that
fight followed them back to Hawaii."
To find out where hotel employees are on strike, prevented from
going to work by their employer, or potentially affected by a
labor dispute, visit our free Hotel & Casino Guide at
http://www.HotelLaborAdvisor.info . You can also search the Guide to
find alternative hotels "safe" from labor unrest.
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gifford
gifford
This is from today's (Oct. 30, 2004) Pacific Business News:
San Francisco hotel workers set up a picket line in Waikiki
by Howard Dicus
With thousands of hotel workers locked out by 14 hotels in San Francisco, some of them have flown to Waikiki to set up picket lines, and the local hotel union says it expects most of its members will decline to cross them.
Local 5 of the Hotel Employees and Restaurant Employees union, which represents employees of the Sheraton, Hilton, Hyatt and other hotels in Waikiki, announced Friday morning that a brother union, Local 2, set a picket line at 3 a.m. in front of the employee entrance of the Sheraton Waikiki and Royal Hawaiian hotels.
"Local 5, which represents the workers at all four Sheratons in Waikiki, informed management that the picket was a lawful picket line and had been approved by Local 5," the Waikiki union said. "Based on Local 5's contract language, union members at the two hotels have the right to respect the picket line without being disciplined."
"We have had about 70 percent of our union work force report to work," said David Uchiyama, regional director of communications for Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc., the parent company of the Sheraton brand and the company which holds the management contract for the affected hotels here.
The workers who set up the line, Local 5 reported, are from the Sheraton Palace in San Francisco. Like the Sheraton Waikiki, Royal Hawaiian, Moana Surfrider and Princess Kaiulani hotels, the Palace is owned by Kyo-ya Corp., which has its Waikiki offices inside the Sheraton Waikiki. Kyo-ya also owns the Sheraton Maui.
"We expect the vast majority of workers to respect Local 2's picket line," said Eric Gill, secretary-treasurer of Local 5. "Our members know that Local 2's fight is our fight. If hotel workers in San Francisco are forced to pay for their medical coverage then we will be next."
"This is really an unfortunate situation where San Francisco union workers are putting pressure on our associates not to report to work," Uchiyama said.
In San Francisco, Local 2 struck four downtown hotels for two weeks. The other 10 hotels including the Sheraton Palace, who have a mutual aid pact similar to the agreement between union locals described above, responded with a lockout, and earlier this week rejected a call by the mayor of San Francisco to end it.
"The Sheratons in Hawaii have been sending non-union staff to be strikebreakers at the Sheraton Palace in San Francisco," said Hernando Tan, Local 5's president. "They entered into the fight in San Francisco, so they should not be surprised that that fight followed them back to Hawaii."
Labor-management relations in the hotel industry have been tense this year. Hotels have been pushing for concessionary contracts while reporting significantly higher profits. A big issue in Hawaii has been the outsourcing of union work to non-union outside contractors. Local 5 has fresh contracts with major hotels in Waikiki including the Sheratons but is currently involved in extensive picketing at the Turtle Bay Resort, which has seen booking suffer and has reportedly closed some wings and curtailed services.
San Francisco hotel workers set up a picket line in Waikiki
by Howard Dicus
With thousands of hotel workers locked out by 14 hotels in San Francisco, some of them have flown to Waikiki to set up picket lines, and the local hotel union says it expects most of its members will decline to cross them.
Local 5 of the Hotel Employees and Restaurant Employees union, which represents employees of the Sheraton, Hilton, Hyatt and other hotels in Waikiki, announced Friday morning that a brother union, Local 2, set a picket line at 3 a.m. in front of the employee entrance of the Sheraton Waikiki and Royal Hawaiian hotels.
"Local 5, which represents the workers at all four Sheratons in Waikiki, informed management that the picket was a lawful picket line and had been approved by Local 5," the Waikiki union said. "Based on Local 5's contract language, union members at the two hotels have the right to respect the picket line without being disciplined."
"We have had about 70 percent of our union work force report to work," said David Uchiyama, regional director of communications for Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc., the parent company of the Sheraton brand and the company which holds the management contract for the affected hotels here.
The workers who set up the line, Local 5 reported, are from the Sheraton Palace in San Francisco. Like the Sheraton Waikiki, Royal Hawaiian, Moana Surfrider and Princess Kaiulani hotels, the Palace is owned by Kyo-ya Corp., which has its Waikiki offices inside the Sheraton Waikiki. Kyo-ya also owns the Sheraton Maui.
"We expect the vast majority of workers to respect Local 2's picket line," said Eric Gill, secretary-treasurer of Local 5. "Our members know that Local 2's fight is our fight. If hotel workers in San Francisco are forced to pay for their medical coverage then we will be next."
"This is really an unfortunate situation where San Francisco union workers are putting pressure on our associates not to report to work," Uchiyama said.
In San Francisco, Local 2 struck four downtown hotels for two weeks. The other 10 hotels including the Sheraton Palace, who have a mutual aid pact similar to the agreement between union locals described above, responded with a lockout, and earlier this week rejected a call by the mayor of San Francisco to end it.
"The Sheratons in Hawaii have been sending non-union staff to be strikebreakers at the Sheraton Palace in San Francisco," said Hernando Tan, Local 5's president. "They entered into the fight in San Francisco, so they should not be surprised that that fight followed them back to Hawaii."
Labor-management relations in the hotel industry have been tense this year. Hotels have been pushing for concessionary contracts while reporting significantly higher profits. A big issue in Hawaii has been the outsourcing of union work to non-union outside contractors. Local 5 has fresh contracts with major hotels in Waikiki including the Sheratons but is currently involved in extensive picketing at the Turtle Bay Resort, which has seen booking suffer and has reportedly closed some wings and curtailed services.
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