More than 200 union maintenance employees at Hersheypark, The Hotel Hershey and Giant Center rejected Hershey Entertainment & Resorts’ last, best and final contract offer on Thursday at 4 p.m., setting up a strike vote this week. The workers will cast ballots over a three-day period on whether to walk off the job.
The vote lands just as Hersheypark is moving toward its busiest stretch of the season. The park is open only on weekends now but is scheduled to begin daily operation on May 21, and the Boardwalk water park is set to open two days later. At Giant Center, the next performance is Nate Bargatze on May 16.
The maintenance employees include carpenters, HVAC technicians, ride mechanics, electricians, plumbers, welders, painters, machinists, sign artists, laborers, central plant operators, garage auto mechanics and utilities technicians. Their union and the company agreed in mid-March to extend the former contract for 60 days so talks could continue, and this was the third offer since negotiations began earlier this year.
Workers have said conditions and benefits have worsened over the last few years, and they are seeking fair wage increases, higher pay premiums for less-desirable shifts and more affordable healthcare plans. The union has said it will reject any proposal that devalues skilled trades, lowers professional standards or opens the door to lower maintenance wages in the future.
A strike would not just be a labor dispute on paper. With a reduced maintenance team, more attractions could be closed and guest facilities could be left inoperable at a time when the park and its venues are preparing for heavier traffic. Hershey Entertainment & Resorts has not issued a statement on the potential walkout, and the union said it will announce the vote results later this week.
For Hershey, the immediate question is no longer whether negotiations were serious. It is whether the people who keep the park, hotel and arena running will decide that the company’s final offer still leaves too much behind.
