State of the Unions

(Hawaii Business Magazine) – By Sterling Higa. Eric Gill, Local 5’s financial secretary-treasurer, says some hotels – especially those owned by offshore investors and real estate investment trusts – have refused to bargain over these conditions during the pandemic. He attributes their resistance to a divergence of interests between labor and owners. “The conflict of interest between hotel workers and hotel owners is a conflict between local people and global corporations that are just out to make money,” Gill says.

Hotel workers bill before City Council reduced to resolution

(Honolulu Star-Advertiser) – By Allison Schaefers. A controversial Honolulu City Council bill that would have mandated employee callback rules for hotels and required them to clean occupied hotel rooms won’t be heard Thursday. Bill 80, a measure pushed by hospitality workers union Unite Here Local 5, was expected to be on Thursday’s agenda after it passed out of the Council Executive Matters and Legal Affairs Committee. The bill would have required hotels to recall a set number of employees based on hotel occupancy, with priority given to those with the most seniority.

Honolulu City Council bill mandates hotel employee callback rules

(Honolulu)- Oahu hotel operators hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic are crying foul at a Honolulu City Council bill that would dictate to the managers which employees could be brought back to work as their facilities slowly reopen.

More than 600 HMSHost airport workers to be laid off in Hawaii, union says

More than 660 Hawaii airport workers will be permanently laid off Thursday, the same day that the state is reopening to tourism with the launch of a pre-travel testing program after numerous delays, according to union representative UNITE HERE Local 5.

Kaiser employees take their grievances to street

Members of the Unite Here Local 5 union and HNHP, which represents some Kaiser employees, protest the upcoming cuts to gastrointestinal and ambulatory surgery services at Kaiser Permanente’s Wailuku Medical Clinic, which would eliminate nearly 30 positions. Union members held a sign-waving and car caravan event Monday afternoon to raise awareness of Kaiser’s plans. There were almost 300 cars and signwavers on O’ahu and Maui.

Kaiser shutdown of some services worries workers

(Wailuku, HI) – Kaiser announced the reductions earlier this month — a move that would eliminate 11 staff and technician positions and 17 registered and licensed practical nurses. The cuts, which will remove several operating rooms from Maui’s health care system, will result in those services being transferred to operating rooms at Maui Memorial Medical Center, operated by a Kaiser affiliate and up the road from the Wailuku Clinic.