For example, hotel managers will be banned from abusing or harassing workers under the new contract, and the hotels agreed to a union demand that managers not disturb workers during meal breaks unless there is an emergency.
"We've made some good progress today," Boardman said.
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Metro Business: Coverage of Washington area businesses and the local economy.
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"I would characterize today very differently from all the previous meetings," Chatilovicz said. "It was productive."
There remain serious areas of disagreement that were not broached yesterday, including pension funding, the duration of a contract and whether the hotels will pay for full health care benefits for newly hired workers.
A strike or other work stoppage at inauguration time would pose great risks for workers, hotels, and the city alike, said people who follow the tourism industry.
Inauguration week is a lucrative one for hotel workers, Boardman acknowledged. They receive double pay for work on Jan. 20, tip income and often get dozens of hours of overtime pay.
It is similarly important for the hotels; many are fully booked, charging their highest published rates and requiring guests pay for four nights. In January 2001, hotel revenue in the District was up 51 percent over January 2000, according to Smith Travel Research.
Moreover, when Local 25 threatened an imminent strike in the fall, some hotels were prepared to stay open by bringing in replacement workers from suburban hotels. However, during inauguration week, even most suburban hotels are full.
Politics may complicate the situation for the union, a labor lawyer said. Attendees of the inauguration of a Democratic president might be less inclined to cross a picket line than those at this Republican event, said Jonathan W. Greenbaum, a partner at Nixon Peabody LLP.
Another bargaining session has been scheduled for Monday evening.
Staff writer Dana Hedgpeth contributed to this report.
