Workers at the Hotel del Coronado voted overwhelmingly Friday to authorize their union leadership to call a strike if progress is not made in securing a new contract.
Unite Here Local 30, the local hotel workers union, reported Friday evening that the vote was 95 percent in favor of the strike authorization.
The existing two-year contract for the luxury resort’s 800 workers is due to expire at the end of this month, and union leadership had previously said it was frustrated that no bargaining session had been scheduled yet despite multiple requests.
However, on Friday afternoon, union President Brigette Browning said Hilton, which manages the Coronado resort, notified Unite Here that it is willing to schedule a bargaining session for Monday.
“We are very pleased that the vast majority of our have decided to authorize a strike if we cannot reach a contract settlement,” Browning said following the vote. “Hilton has notified us that they want to bargain on Monday and we look forward to getting closer to settlement.”
The current two-year contract, which expires Oct. 31, guaranteed an hourly raise of $2 for each of two years for nontipped workers like housekeepers and front desk clerks. Housekeepers currently earn $24.25 an hour, mid-tier cooks $25.65, and front desk agents $24.25, Browning said.
In advance of the strike vote, a Hilton spokesperson provided a statement Friday morning to the Union-Tribune saying that the company remains “committed to negotiating in good faith to reach a fair and reasonable agreement that is beneficial to both our valued team and to our hotel. We are confident we can reach agreement on a new CBA (collective bargaining agreement) without any strike or other labor dispute activity.”
Unite Here is also in the midst of a labor dispute with another San Diego hotel — the Hilton San Diego Bayfront. Its 700 union workers have been on strike for five weeks. Their contract expired Aug. 31. Although some progress was made in a recent bargaining session, wage issues remain unresolved.
