Hotels, Union Talk as Deadline and Inauguration Loom

Negotiators for 14 Washington hotels and the union representing their workers reported modest progress last night in their attempts to reach a deal that would avert a possible work stoppage during the presidential inauguration.

Officials of Unite Here Local 25, which represents the 3,500 hotel employees whose contract is under negotiation, have said workers may strike if there is no agreement on a contract by Jan. 15.

In talks last night, the sides reached tentative agreement on several nagging issues, such as rules for setting workers' schedules, allowing them vacation time and searching their lockers.

The union is ramping up its readiness for a walkout, said Executive Secretary-Treasurer John A. Boardman. Workers picketed the Renaissance Mayflower hotel yesterday to publicize their cause and test their strike procedures. Hotels, for their part, are lining up replacement workers and promising to remain open during the extremely busy inauguration week, even if there is a strike.

The two sides remain far apart on economic issues. For example, management wants to require newly hired employees to pay a portion of their health insurance premiums, while the union demands that new hires, like current workers, have free health insurance. Boardman said the union has been waiting since October for a new counterproposal; the chief negotiator for management said the offer the hotels made then is close to their last and best offer.

"The ball is in the union's court," said Peter Chatilovicz, lead negotiator for the Hotel Association of Washington's bargaining unit, before entering negotiations yesterday. "That economic proposal is very close to where we need to end up."

"Eventually they need to come up with an economic offer," Boardman said. "They owe me an economic proposal."