Hilton, hotel workers reach tentative agreement to end strike
JAMM AQUINO / SEPT. 24
Striking workers picket at the Hilton Hawaiian Village Waikiki Beach Resort in September.
UNITE HERE Local 5 officials said they have reached a tentative contract deal with the Hilton Hawaiian Village Waikiki Beach Resort to end the 40-day strike by hotel workers.
The union represents over 1,800 Hilton Hawaiian Village workers, including housekeepers, front desk agents, restaurant staff, maintenance workers and others.
Workers are expected to hold a ratification vote Monday. If the deal is ratified, they are expected to return to work Tuesday, UNITE HERE Local 5 officials said in a news release Saturday night.
Separate news releases from the union and Hilton did not detail the terms of the tentative agreement or which employees would be covered by it.
“We believe this agreement is beneficial to our valued Team Members and to our hotel. We look forward to welcoming our Team Members back to work and continuing to provide our guests with our signature hospitality,” Adam Wit, Hilton vice president and senior counsel for labor relations, said in a statement to the Honolulu Star-Advertiser.
More than 3,200 Local 5 members at seven hotels across Hawaii are still working without a contract and could strike at any time, the union said. In August, they voted to authorize a strike, emphasizing priorities such as wage increases to keep pace with the rising cost of living, proper staffing and reinstatement of guest services cut during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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The union argues that many hotels took advantage of the pandemic to reduce staffing and suspend guest services such as daily room cleaning, resulting in job and income losses and creating challenging working conditions for employees who have been burdened with heavier workloads.
Earlier Saturday, hundreds of supporters, including labor unions, advocacy groups and elected officials, rallied in solidarity with striking UNITE HERE Local 5 workers, demanding a fair contract and an end to the strike.
The Defend and Respect Hawaii Workers Coalition, which includes the Hawaii Workers Center, Hawaii Nurses Association, Academic Labor United and the Democratic Socialists of Oahu, among others, gathered at Ala Moana Beach Park before marching to the Waikiki resort.
