Union workers at The Modern Honolulu unanimously voted Thursday night to authorize a potential strike because of their unhappiness over working conditions at the luxury hotel.
About 260 workers represented by Unite Here Local 5 would be affected if they walk off the job.
No date for the potential strike has been set.
"There’s only one reason why I voted ‘yes,’ and that’s because we have to demonstrate that we’re willing to fight back against the corporations that continue to make lots of money while so many of us struggle to get by," Audrey Gecain, a Modern Honolulu hotel worker, said Friday. "I voted ‘yes’ for my job security, decent health coverage, but more importantly for a fair chance at a real future in Hawaii."
The Modern Honolulu management and Local 5 are negotiating the hotel’s first collective bargaining agreement.
"If a few employees choose to lose work opportunities and wages to go on strike, we have a contingency plan to ensure that we are fully operational and able to provide guests with the quality of service they have come to expect from The Modern," said Gerald Glennon, managing director of The Modern. "Despite any potential workplace disruptions, we are committed to negotiating a fair and equitable contract that will provide opportunities for our team members to succeed, while maintaining the highest level of service and luxury experience for our guests."
In October the National Labor Relations Board concluded a weeklong trial on charges it brought against The Modern Honolulu, which is managed by Aqua Hotels. The trial centered on charges relating to the termination of Juliana Alcaraz, a room attendant and one of at least seven Modern Honolulu workers who believed they were fired unfairly since Aqua Hotels assumed management of the property in August 2011.
"We were told that departmental meetings were a place to voice our concerns," Alcaraz said. "But when I voiced concerns me and my co-workers had about how we were being treated, I was fired four days later."
Workers are awaiting a ruling by a judge in the NLRB’s case against The Modern. The NLRB already has ruled in favor of workers and Local 5 on other charges brought against the hotel asserting that The Modern illegally made changes in working conditions and benefits.
