Union committee rejects offer to hotel workers

August 31, 2002

BY FRANCINE KNOWLES BUSINESS REPORTER


A strike is more likely Sunday at two dozen downtown Chicago and O'Hare area hotels now that a union negotiating committee has soundly rejected what employers had labeled their "final" economic offer.

The Hotel Employees and Restaurant Employees International Union committee voted 50 to 5 to reject the contract proposal Friday after reviewing it and getting feedback from among the union's more than 7,000 room attendants, bartenders, bell staff and other members at Local 1 and Local 450.

The wages and health insurance provisions are unacceptable, said the union, which maintains that workers' pay and benefits here have long lagged their counterparts in other major cities. The proposal would have raised wages more than 40 percent for some workers.

"The workers feel that they have worked far too long, far too hard for far too little," said Henry Tamarin, president of Local 1. "Although [employers] made substantial progress in the economic package, workers feel it's insufficient in a number of key areas."

That sets the stage for a strike when the current contract expires at midnight tonight.

"We think this is extremely unfortunate that we're forced into this situation," Tamarin said. "We think it's sad that we're going to have to take this step. The greatest hardship in a job action is going to be on the workers."

After the vote, employers said they were disappointed and would present another offer.

"It ain't over 'til it's over," said Jeffrey Dixon, a spokesman for the Hotel Employers Labor Relations Association, who said the two sides will meet today.

The final offer presented to the union late Thursday afternoon would have raised room attendants pay by $3.57 an hour to $12.40 an hour over five years. It also would have reduced dependent health insurance co-pay to $45, from the current $85.

But the hotels' proposal would still leave workers' pay lagging their counterparts in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Boston and Washington, D.C, the union said.

The union has backed off a proposal to have wages here mirror those paid in New York.

That would have more than doubled the pay of room attendants here, setting it at $18.15 an hour. Now the union is seeking wages in the range of what's paid in Washington, D.C., where room attendants make $12.19 an hour and there is no co-pay for dependent health insurance coverage, Tamarin said.

He said the hotel's offer also failed to address workload issues. He noted workers get one-half hour unpaid meal time, and no other breaks. The union had asked for one 15-minute break period, he said, and raised concerns regarding the number of floors and rooms room attendants are required to handle. It's also concerned about job security and a proposal from the hotels that would allow them to subcontract out restaurant operations, he said.<

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