Hotel workers staged protests across the nation today including Hawaii as unions and management undergo contract negotiations.The service union Local 5 is targeting Goldman Sachs and Pritzker Family ownership of the Hyatt chain.
Management says workers got contracted raises during the recession and that management envisions better wages and benefits in the coming round.
They say they are at issue are work rules and who is willing to do what.
"Who can touch a bag, who can touch a door, bellmen, doormen, who can cook what. There's lots of work rules that get in the way of providing good service," said David Lewin, Hyatt Regency Waikiki.
Local 5 has about 500 workers at the Hyatt Regency.
About half of them have worked there over 20 years.
Contracts expired at the end of June.
The Hawaii union says while the other major Hawaii chains have sat at the bargaining table, no talks have been set for the month of July for Hyatt.
The hotel management says that's because the union didn't answer the hotel's request back in May to set a meeting, and they say by the time Local 5 got back to them, August dates were all that both parties could accommodate.
People have already been arrested in at least four mainland protests tonight.
Dozens more in Hawaii have also been arrested.
