Hilton Garden Inn hotel workers ratified their first union contract between management and Unite Here Local 5.
The five-year-contract, which was ratified with a 97 percent vote, guarantees wage increases, full family medical coverage and a pension. The contract also allows housekeepers to drop a room from their daily quota if they are assigned to clean a room occupied by four or more guests.
Negotiations began in February, and the settlement was reached after a 19-hour bargaining session March 15.
“The fact that we ratified this union contract so quickly is a testament to the unity and solidarity that these workers displayed. When people come together, we win,” said Eric Gill, secretary-treasurer of Local 5, which represents approximately 10,000 Hawaii workers.
Nordstrom laying off 106 nationwide
SEATTLE >> Nordstrom is laying off 106 people nationwide, including 30 in Seattle, where the retailer is headquartered.
The 106 positions being cut are all customer care specialists, who answer customer questions via phone, online chat or email.
In addition to the 30 people being laid off in Seattle, 18 people in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, are affected, as are 58 people across the country who work from home, according to a Nordstrom spokeswoman.
The job cuts came last week. Nordstrom is paying the employees through Saturday.
“We’ve made a number of investments across our business to make shopping easier and more convenient for our customers,” Nordstrom said in a statement. “One of the results of that has been a decrease in the number of customers who reach out to Customer Care for support, which has put us in the position of being overstaffed on that team.”
American Air to buy stake in China Southern
American Airlines Group Inc. agreed to acquire a minority stake in China Southern Airlines Co. for $200 million, cementing a partnership between the top carriers in the U.S. and Asia.
China Southern will issue 270.6 million shares in its Hong Kong-listed company to the world’s largest airline at HK$5.74 apiece, the Guangzhou-based carrier said in a stock exchange statement Tuesday in China. That is a premium of 5.3 percent over the closing price before Bloomberg News reported the talks last week. The two airlines also agreed on code sharing, according to the exchange statement.
The agreement will boost Fort Worth, Texas-based American Air’s presence in China, one of the world’s fastest-growing aviation markets.
ON THE MOVE
ProService Hawaii has promoted the following three professionals to managers of account management:
>> John “JD” DeMarco joined ProService in 2016 as part of ProService’s acquisition of HiHR, for which he had been overseeing the sales team since 2013. Prior to that he worked for 17 years opening the original and subsequent Starbucks and Jamba Juice stores in Hawaii.
>> Larry Hubbell has been part of ProService for the past 10 years, having started as the firm’s first account manager. He has more than 35 years of management experience, including serving in top-level management positions in the employee administration field with Bank of America and Visa.
>> Angie Nakasone joined ProService’s payroll department in 2010 and was later promoted to service team manager as well as to account manager in 2013. Prior to joining ProService, Nakasone served as a director of operations for a local accounting firm and director of sales and marketing for the Hawaiian Islanders Arena Football team.
