Jason Maxwell, a bartender at the Waikiki Beach Marriott, said customers found resort fees more tolerable in the past, when they included amenities like two free drinks and 10% off a meal instead of today’s commonly obsolete benefits like use of the in-room landline or DVD rentals.
Local 5 spokesman Bryan de Venecia said the union secured two extensions to its 2018 contracts at all the big hotel brands in 2022, which included “raises and contributions to our health and welfare fund to replenish funds that were depleted during the pandemic.”
Report showsReport shows over 200 LPN vacancies across the state over 200 LPN vacancies across the state
HILO, Hawaii (AP) — Many people on the Big Island of Hawaii are bracing for major upheaval if lava from Mauna Loa volcano slides across a key highway and blocks the quickest route connecting two sides of the island.
UNITE HERE Local 5 believes all people should have quality health care and the right to control their own bodies. The recent Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade is an attack on working people and the first in a likely series of decisions intended to bolster the power of the few to the detriment of the many. For Local 5, access to abortion is about workers having control over our personal and economic futures. And it matters to all of us as workers and union members because when they attack one of us, they attack all of us. We make this statement with a deep respect for persons of all faiths and a deep respect for the blessing of life.
For Local 5, reproductive freedom is one of many rights inherent to the dignity of the working class that also includes quality healthcare, access to a good education, a voice on the job, living wages, affordable and safe homes, and time off to enjoy our lives. We know the only way we can win these things is if we stand up for one another and remain united.
In this November’s election we, as workers, face both a threat and an opportunity. In response, our Union will make thousands of calls and visits to voters in swing states like Arizona and Nevada. To take an active part in this effort to protect our democracy and to defend ourselves against decisions like Dobbs, contact Local 5 and consider joining our ranks in this vital work.
UNITEHERE! Local 5
For Immediate Release for July 9, 2021
Media Contact:
Bryant de Venecia
Cell Phone: (808) 546-0024
bdevenecia@5.unitehere.org
UNITE HERE Local 5 reached tentative agreement with Hilton, affecting 1,800 hotel workers
New two-year agreement includes improved wages and benefits, recall rights, reinstatement of daily room cleaning and other hotel services, and more.
Click here for photos from previous actions
(Honolulu, Hawaii) – After months of negotiations between Hilton and UNITE HERE Local 5, both parties have reached an agreement for a two-year contract impacting roughly 1,800 hotel workers at Hilton Hawaiian Village. Hilton Hawaiian Village workers will vote to ratify agreement over the next weeks.
Eric Gill, Financial Secretary-Treasurer of UNITE HERE Local 5 shared, “We are proud to announce a breakthrough in our two-year campaign to defend Hawaii’s hotel service standards.”
Today’s agreement means that daily cleaning of guest rooms will be resumed at the Hilton Hawaiian Village, securing hundreds of housekeeping jobs and restoring a key element of quality guest service.
Mariaane Codiamat, a Hilton Hawaiian Village housekeeper for 34 years shared, “Since the pandemic started, daily room cleaning is one of the services that these big hotel companies cut off. Hilton was no exception. Housekeeping is the largest department in most hotels, so cutting back this service affects the jobs of thousands of housekeepers. We did countless actions, petitions, rallies, delegations, we also asked our government leaders to help us get our jobs back. Today, finally, we are victorious.”
Hilton has also agreed to significant increased contributions to bolster the Union’s Health and Welfare Fund reserves, and enough money for generous increases in wages and pension contributions. When hotels workers were furloughed in 2020, thousands were at risk of losing their health care coverage. UNITE HERE Local 5 stepped in and extended the coverage for thousands of union members, affecting the Union’s health and welfare reserves.
Gill continues, “We have reached this excellent two-year agreement with Hilton that addresses the most critical issues facing hotel workers as tourism recovers from the pandemic. Local 5 was able to reach this agreement because of the militancy and strong organization of Hilton workers, and because Local 5 participated in coordinated bargaining efforts over the past two years with 15 other local unions and our international union.”
The collective bargaining agreement between UNITE HERE Local 5 and the big hotel companies—Hilton, Hyatt, Marriott/Kyo-ya—expired June 30, 2022. The Union will resume negotiations with the other hotel companies in hopes that they will reach an agreement based on the package that the Union achieved with Hilton.
Local 5 represents approximately 10,500 workers throughout Hawaii who work in the hospitality, health care and food service industries and is an affiliate of UNITE HERE, an international union that represents over 250,000 workers throughout the U.S. and Canada. For more information, visit www.unitehere5.org.
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