Point at Poipu, Ritz Carlton Club and November 2. Residents workers—welcome to the ILWU family

(Above, left) Shannon Jacinto and Evelyn Javillonar are from The Point at Poipu, a 219-unit vacation rental managed by Diamond Resorts International. The workers joined the ILWU in August 2009 and negotiated their first union contract this year. The Point at Poipu employs about 90 members. (Above, right) Malia Waring is from the Ritz-Carlton Club and Residences at Kapalua Bay on Maui, another new addition to the ILWU. The Residences was built on the site of the former Kapalua Bay Hotel and sells three and four-bedroom units to private owners and “fractional” ownership of 21 or more days.

St. Regis housekeepers get their carts

PRINCEVILLE—Management of the St. Regis Resort on Kauai thought large housekeeping carts in the hallways didn’t fit in with the high class look of an ultra-luxury hotel. They wanted to ban the use of carts and require housekeepers to carry their cleaning tools, linen, and other supplies to each room.

In reality, this meant housekeepers had to go back to their supply room after cleaning each guest room to drop off dirty linen and pick up clean linen, towels, soap, and shampoo for the next room.

To make matters worse, the hotel is built on the sea cliffs above Hanalei Bay and some floors descend several levels before reaching the ocean. A housekeeper may have to use as many as three elevators to go from their supply room to the guest rooms.

The union moved quickly to prevent a new policy which would lead to a major loss of productivity and cause more headaches for management and housekeeping workers. The unit officers and Kauai Division Director Michael Machado met with management to explain how the no cart policy would put an incredible burden on the housekeepers.

Management listened and agreed that smaller carts might solve the problem. Smaller carts would fit in with the luxury look of the hotel and housekeepers wouldn’t have to make as many trips to replenish their supplies.

The hotel purchased a number of different carts for housekeepers to test out. Management wanted the smallest cart, while the housekeepers wanted larger carts. In the end, both sides agreed on a mid-size cart, which the hotel has on order.

This is a good example of how union and management can work together to solve problems and come up with solutions where everyone is satisfied.