The workers want hotel owners Tishman Hotel & Realty Corp. and Metropolitan Life Insurance Co., both New York-based, to guarantee them a 40-hour work week at the 758-room Swan Hotel and the 1,509-room Dolphin Hotel.

They also want job assignments based on seniority. An April 12 bargaining session overseen by a federal mediator failed to resolve the stalemate. The workers rejected the initial contract in March.

Teamsters represent 20% of the 1,000-person work force at the two $375 million properties built in 1989 and 1990. White Plains, NY-based Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide manages both adjoining hotels.

GlobeSt.com couldn't reach officials at publication deadline at either Tishman, Metropolitan, Starwood or the Teamsters. But staffers at both hotels tell GlobeSt.com on condition of anonymity the planned walkout is not expected to affect the operations of either property.

"Guests won't even notice it," one staffer tells GlobeSt.com, because the hotels already have a waiting list of workers ready to step in and fill the jobs which pay from $5.14 per hour (legal minimum) to $12 per hour depending on individual skills. About 48,000 workers are seeking jobs in metro Orlando, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.

The workers-management confrontation comes as Tishman-Met Life is investing a combined $75 million to increase total indoor meeting space at the two hotels to 329,000 sf from 250,000 sf.

The expansion will allow the Swan-Dolphin to compete with the nearby Nashville,TN-owned Gaylord Palms, the 1,406-room, $450 million hotel that opened Feb. 2 with 400,000 sf of meeting area, Orlando hospitality consultants tell GlobeSt.com.

Instant Insights /

GlobeSt.com UPDATE: Swan-Dolphin Workers Plan to Walk

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