US hotel strike is resolved

A two-week strike affecting seven hotels and more than 1,000 workers in and around Minneapolis in the USA has been resolved.

The hotels, which include Radisson, Hilton and Holiday Inn, agreed to five-year pay increases, extra holiday and improved health benefits.

In what is regarded by management as a money-saving tactic, the settlement included twice-yearly pay increases. The lowest-paid workers will receive a 6% pay rise in the first year and consecutive rises of 2.5% twice a year for the next four years. The highest-paid workers will receive a 4% pay rise in the first year and twice-yearly rises of 2% for the following four years.

Lawyer Michael Colloton, the hotels' chief negotiator, said the settlement amounted to increases of about 22-28% over the five years, much lower than union demands of 23-46%. "I told them if they came down off their high numbers we could settle, and we did," he said.

Source: Caterer & Hotelkeeper magazine, 6-12 July 2000