Services Cut, No Talks Set in Hawaii Hotel Strike

A strike at 11 major Hawaii hotels is expected to drag on for at least a week, and replacement workers are being flown to the islands to make beds and meals for thousands of tourists.

“We’re prepared to operate for weeks if need be,” said William Crawford, executive director of the Council of Hawaii Hotels. Contract talks between the council and the Hotel Employees and Restaurant Employees Union broke off Saturday.

“I saved all year for this vacation, and I want my bed made,” said Cindy Parisi, 23, who is paying $275 a night at the Hilton Hawaiian Village.

Room service was suspended at most hotels, some restaurants were closed and supervisors scrambled to check in guests and clean rooms Sunday.

Federal mediator Frank Schoeppel predicted Sunday it would be “at least a week” before any new talks are scheduled.

About 7,500 workers are on strike in the dispute over a wage and benefit package. The walkout affects 9,300 rooms in Waikiki and at three hotels on other islands, about 16% of the state’s total hotel inventory. It is the first major strike in 24 years in Waikiki.

The hotels involved in the strike on Oahu are the Hawaiian Village, the Hyatt Regency Waikiki, the Ilikai, the Kahala Hilton, the Sheraton Waikiki, the Sheraton Moana Surfrider, the Princess Kaiulani and the Royal Hawaiian Hotel. On the neighbor islands, the Sheraton Kauai, Sheraton Maui and Kona Hilton are also struck.

Management said it offered a 7% annual increase in wages and benefits, but the union said the offer was worth only 5.5%. The union is asking for a 10% hike.