Nine upscale Los Angeles hotels, in difficult negotiations with unionized workers since last spring, said Tuesday that they had agreed to most union demands except the length of a new contract.

Contract length has been the main point of contention from the beginning of negotiations, however, so it was unclear whether the new offer would break the stalemate.

The union is seeking a two-year pact so that it can line up contract expirations with locals in other cities. The hotels are seeking a five-year deal.

A spokesman for Unite Here Local 11 said rank-and-file members of the negotiating committee would respond to the proposal Thursday morning after consulting with hotel shop stewards. Union sources who asked not to be named said the offer was not as generous as portrayed and probably would be rejected by members.

The Los Angeles Hotel Employer's Council is bargaining for the nine hotels, which include the landmark Millennium Biltmore and Westin Century Plaza.

In a statement distributed to workers Tuesday, hotel managers said negotiations had been "very frustrating." They said they offered to raise wages for non-tipped employees by $2 an hour over five years, and to introduce two paid sick days a year.

The hotels also would restore fully paid health insurance and refund employees the $10 weekly co-payments they've been charged for the last several months, the managers said in the statement.

"We hope a contract can be reached soon," the statement said. "To do so, you need to tell the union to give us 5!!" referring to the five-year pact the hotels are seeking.

Unite Here is seeking to line up contracts across the country to expire in 2006.

More News About the Los Angeles Hotel Workers' Struggle for a Fair Contract >>