Sheraton workers stage rally

Roughly 100 Sheraton Kauai Hotel & Resort employees rallied yesterday in front of the reception area in Po‘ipu for the first time in 17 years.

The goal: Set a tone for contract negotiations, which begin Aug. 1.

The request: Bring the compensation package of Kaua‘i employees up to par with that of Sheraton’s Waikiki workers.

Unite Here! Local 5, a Hawai‘i union representing primarily hotel workers, organ-ized the event and asserts that Sheraton Kauai workers are being treated unfairly.

Sheraton has six hotels in Hawai‘i, three of which are in Waikiki. All are operated by parent company Starwood Hotels & Resorts Inc.

“The workers do the same work for the same company and they deserve the same contract,” Local 5 Lead Organizer Daniel Kerwin said.

Local 5 represents roughly 250 of the 292 employees at the hotel, which is the only one on the island that has organized with the union.

According to Kerwin, the Sheraton’s Kaua‘i staff makes anywhere from 50 cents to $1.50 less per hour than employees with the same job descriptions at the Waikiki locations.

“We’re doing this to let Starwood know that we’re not happy being treated as second-class workers,” Kerwin said.

With a contract set to expire Aug. 31, the process is just beginning. But it is starting out much differently than past years’ negotiations.

A similar rally was held a few weeks ago at the Maui Sheraton, which Local 5 says is experiencing the same wage disputes.

“It’s time for (hotel) workers throughout the state to get one contract,” Cade Watanabe, Local 5 spokesman, said.

Three Maui employees, including one man who retired after 40 years of service at the hotel, came to assist the Kaua‘i staff in yesterday’s event.

At the rally, workers carried signs and shouted out chants and songs such as: “I used to be a human being. Now I’m just a machine.”

Darlene Dolan, a waitress at the Sheraton, and her husband participated in light of the recent contract agreement secured by the Waikiki hotels. Among the benefits they received that are not reflected locally include improvements in housekeeping workload standards and double-time sick pay leave for tipped employees.

“We all want a fair contract,” Dolan said.

Also in attendance was Cindy Quiroz, who has worked at the hotel for seven and a half years. As a food and beverage employee, Quiroz said she would like secure retirement benefits.

“We want to get what our brothers and sisters are getting in Honolulu,” she added.

Kerwin said the discrepancy among islands wasn’t always the case. He noted that concessions were made following Hurricane ‘Iniki because of the economic difficulties faced by businesses — and residents — island-wide. But now, with Sheraton Kauai spending millions to build a vacation ownership resort and the overall growth of hotels on the island, Kerwin said the tide has changed.

“It’s time to invest in us,” he said. “We helped you for many years to recover.”

Among the bargaining points that Kerwin and Local 5 Secretary Treasurer Eric Gill will ask for in the negotiations with Starwood are higher wages and enough funding to maintain the current medical plan, which is free.

Kerwin said Sheraton Kauai housekeepers also deserve a reduction in the number of rooms they must clean each day from the current 15.

He noted that hotels are constantly increasing the amenities offered to guests because of competition. But this creates more work for housekeepers, who are not always compensated for the extra tasks.

Kerwin said that Sheraton’s Waikiki housekeepers receive additional pay for rollaway beds, though the Kaua‘i staff do not.

“We don’t want them to get old and not be able to pick up their grandchildren,” Kerwin said of physical demands of the job.

Aside from a few honks from passersby and stares from hotel guests, there did not appear to be any resistance to the rally on hotel property.

Hotel Manager Angela Vento said the employees are within their rights to demonstrate in front of the hotel, and she looks forward to a successful round of negotiations.

“We have a great team of employees at our hotel,” Vento said.

• Blake Jones, business writer/assistant editor, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 251) or bjones@kauaipubco.com.