4 HILTON HOTELS IN L.A., ORANGE COUNTIES REACH TENTATIVE AGREEMENT WITH UNION

After five months of onand-off strikes by Southern California hotel workers, there are signs of progress toward a resolution.

On Friday, Unite Here Local 11 announced it had reached a tentative contract agreement with the Beverly Hilton covering more than 500 unionized workers.

The union struck deals Saturday with two other sites managed by Hilton: for some 300 workers at the Waldorf Astoria in Beverly Hills, and about 800 workers at the Hilton Anaheim.

Unite Here Local 11 also nailed down a tentative agreement Saturday with Hilton Costa Mesa, a property that carries the Hilton name but is operated independently. The Costa Mesa deal covers about 200 workers, union spokesperson Rachel Sulkes said.

In total, nine hotels have reached tentative contract agreements with Unite Here Local 11.

The union has declined to give specifics on wages and other economic details of the agreements it has reached thus far, and the contracts have not yet been put to a vote by workers. Union spokesperson Maria Hernandez has said that the contracts — once ratified by workers at the various hotels — will raise wages, strengthen pensions and increase investments in health care.

The nine hotels represent a small portion of the some 60 hotel sites in Los Angeles and Orange counties hit by a series of sporadic strikes after contracts covering more than 15,000 housekeepers, cooks, dishwashers, servers and front desk workers expired June 30.

But momentum to settle the strike appears to be building as winter holidays and the Hollywood awards season pick up. Three of the four hotels reaching contract agreements in recent days had been part of a coordinated bargaining group said to represent owners and operators of more than 40 Southern California properties, Sulkes said.

“Our hope is that (negotiations) are starting to move,” she said.

The Beverly Hilton, longtime host of the annual Golden Globe Awards, was the sixth property to reach a deal with the union. The Friday evening announcement of the deal came mere days before the unveiling of Golden Globe nominations Monday morning at the hotel, averting potential picket lines.

Hilton spokesperson Karla Visconti said in an emailed statement Saturday: “We are pleased to have reached a new labor agreement with Unite Here Local 11 for our valued Team Members at the Beverly Hilton, Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills and Hilton Anaheim. Hilton Team Members are at the heart of everything we do and we look forward to continuing to welcome our guests with our signature hospitality.”