Hotels Break Ranks On Union Contract
One signs a deal while the general manager of another urges surrender on expiration date issue.
By Nancy Cleeland
Times Staff Writer
May 20, 2005
A coalition of prominent Los Angeles hotels has suffered a double blow in its yearlong power struggle with the hotel workers' union, as two of nine original members publicly broke ranks on the crucial issue of the contract expiration date.
The Unite Here union is demanding that the contract end in 2006 as part of a campaign to line up expiration dates across the country. That could allow the union to call a national strike as it goes up against national chains, leaders said.
The expiration date has been the key point of contention between the two sides, with the Los Angeles Hotel Employer's Council pushing for a longer deal.
The latest hit to the council came Thursday, when Unite Here officials said they had signed a 2006 deal with the newly renamed Sheraton Los Angeles. The former Hyatt Regency was a council member until it changed ownership this week.
Like pacts recently signed between the union and six independent hotels that are not part of the coalition, the Sheraton Los Angeles contract calls for modest wage increases and a continuation of family health benefits.
More surprising was a plea for surrender sent out by Wilshire Grand General Manager John Stoddard, once a strident opponent of the union. His May 12 letter to fellow council members, obtained by the union and released Thursday, calls for capitulation on the expiration date for the sake of the local economy.