HONOLULU – UNITE HERE! Local 5, Kyo-ya Hotels & Resorts and Starwood Hotels and Resorts today announced tentative agreements for approximately 2,800 associates at six Hawaii hotels. Members of UNITE HERE! Local 5 will vote to ratify the three tentative deals on Friday, March 18, 2011 – one for the four Kyo-ya-owned Waikiki hotels, one for the Kyo-ya-owned Sheraton Maui Resort & Spa and one for the Starwood-owned Sheraton Kauai Resort.
“Our members are happy that the hotels have addressed the pressing issues at the bargaining table,” said Eric Gill, financial secretary-treasurer of UNITE HERE! Local 5. “We are particularly pleased that we have settled with all six Starwood properties on three islands, all at once. Now that we have resolved differences between union and management, we can all concentrate on doing what we do best – taking care of our guests.”
“We’re pleased to have been able to work in partnership with the union to reach a tentative agreement that will allow us to continue sharing our special spirit of aloha with our guests, and most importantly, allow our valued associates to better provide for their families,” said Ernest Nishizaki, executive vice president and chief operating officer, Kyo-ya Hotels & Resorts, which owns the Royal Hawaiian, a Luxury Collection Resort; Moana Surfrider, a Westin Resort & Spa; Sheraton Princess Kaiulani Hotel; Sheraton Waikiki Resort and Sheraton Maui Resort & Spa.
“I would like to extend my personal thanks and appreciation to Eric Gill and his bargaining team for their willingness to negotiate fair and equitable contracts in good faith,” he added. “Our associates are the heart of our ohana and the lifeblood of our business, and our philosophy has always been to provide them with wages and benefits that are among
the best in Hawaii’s hotel industry. We have accomplished that.”
“This tentative agreement shows that we can come together at a challenging time and
do what’s best for our associates, our guests and our community alike,” said Keith Vieira, senior vice president of operations in Hawaii and French Polynesia for Starwood Hotels & Resorts, which manages the five Kyo-ya hotels in Hawaii and owns and manages
the Sheraton Kauai Resort.
“This important step will help strengthen our economic recovery and continue operations that improve conditions for our associates while maintaining the high level of service our guests have come to expect at Starwood Hotels & Resorts,” he added. “At this point, what matters most is the approval of our associates.”
Submitted by Cade Watanabe, UNITE HERE! Local 5, and Travis Taylor of Kyo-ya Hotels & Resorts / Starwood Hotels & Resorts