Royal Kona Resort workers rally for good jobs on Big Island

Media Advisory for April 10, 2018

Media Contact:
Paola Rodelas
Cell Phone: (808) 333-4782
prodelas@5.unitehere.org

Royal Kona Resort workers rally for good jobs on Big Island

WHAT: Royal Kona Resort workers rally to demand good, quality jobs

WHERE: Royal Kona Resort (on Kahakai Rd.)

WHEN: Wednesday, April 11, 2018 (3:30p – 5:30p)

WHO: Royal Kona Resort workers who work in housekeeping, food & beverage, engineering, front desk, and more.

WHY: Workers at the Royal Kona Resort, owned by Hawaiian Hotels & Resorts based in California, will be rallying in front of the hotel to address the need for good jobs on the Big Island.

Nearly 200 workers, represented by UNITE HERE Local 5, have been without a union contract for over a year. Management’s proposal could jeopardize their benefits.
“When the hotel was struggling, workers agreed to only a small increases to pay and benefits, neither of which met the Local 5 standard. Now room occupancy levels are high and the hotel is doing very well, but management continues to keep us behind,” says Maggie Larson, who has worked at the Royal Kona Resort housekeeping department for 27 years, “We need good, quality jobs in Kona and all of Big Island. We don’t want to be treated like second-class citizens.”
Work safety is another key issue that the workers want to address, but management has refused. Housekeepers at the Royal Kona Resort clean 17 rooms per shift, while housekeepers at other union hotels clean only 15 rooms, at most. According to the most recent data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, hotel workers experience higher injury rates than coal miners.

On March 19, 95% of the workers voted to authorize a strike, sending a strong message of unity. Although the workers will not be going on strike on Wednesday, the workers have not ruled this out as a possibility in the future.

VISUALS: Royal Kona Resort workers in red shirts rallying in front of the Royal Kona Resort, chanting with picket signs.

Local 5 represents approximately 11,000 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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Hyatt Centric Waikiki Hotel workers vote yes to unionize

(KITV) – HONOLULU – Hyatt Centric Waikiki Beach Hotel workers voted to unionize the organization, with the biggest election win in decades.

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Hawaii’s largest Citizenship Workshop will help nearly 150 immigrants become U.S. citizens

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 23, 2018

Media Contact: Paola Rodelas
Mobile: (808) 333-4782
prodelas@5.unitehere.org

Hawaii’s largest Citizenship Workshop will help nearly 150 immigrants become U.S. citizens

Immigration advocates, volunteers organize Citizenship Workshop in response to DACA expiration

Honolulu, HI – Immigration attorneys, elected officials, and community organizations are joining UNITE HERE Local 5 in organizing a Citizenship Workshop to provide one-on-one assistance for nearly 150 legal permanent residents who want to apply for U.S. citizenship.

The Citizenship Workshop will take place on Saturday, March 3 from 8:00am – 4:00pm at the Neal S. Blaisdell Center (777 Ward Ave, Honolulu, HI 96814). The response from Hawaii’s immigrant community was so enthusiastic that organizers had to close registration early. Around 55,000 legal permanent residents live in Hawai’i.

The response from the broader community has been just as supportive—almost 200 people are signed up to volunteer at the Citizenship Workshop.

“The Citizenship Workshop was organized in response to the expiration of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program on March 5. We’re responding to all of the anti-immigration policies and rhetoric by helping nearly 150 immigrants become U.S. citizens,” says Paola Rodelas, a community organizer at UNITE HERE Local 5 who is co-organizing the workshop.

“The fact that so many immigrants and so many volunteers have signed up for this Citizenship Workshop shows where Hawai’i stands on immigration. Hawai’i was built on the backs of immigrants and continues to thrive because of our immigrant community. We stand with our immigrant communities and we support immigration reform,” says Amy Agbayani, former Chair of the Hawaii Civil Rights Commission who is also co-organizing the workshop.

Lourdes Maquera, a housekeeper at the Royal Hawaiian Hotel, and her eldest daughter will be attending the Citizenship Workshop. “As a housekeeper in Hawaii’s number one industry, I am part of the backbone of Hawaii’s economy. As a single mother of three, my family depends on me. I am proud of the work I do and what I contribute to our community. I am so happy that this workshop will help my whole family become U.S. citizens so that we can continue to live here and thrive here,” says Lourdes.

The Citizenship Workshop is co-sponsored by Mayor Kirk Caldwell and the City and County of Honolulu, Catholic Diocese Office for Social Ministry, Hawai’i Coalition for Civil Rights, Hawaii Chapter: American Immigration Lawyers Association, Hawai’i J20, Hawai’i Peace and Justice, Hawai’i Friends of Civil Rights, and Pacific Gateway Center.

“The strength and foundation of our community is rooted in our history of immigration and our stories of struggle,” said Mayor Caldwell. “Now more than ever, we need to collectively stand up and support Hawai‘i’s immigrant families. We are happy to join Local 5 in addressing this important issue.”

Workshop organizers hope that this will be the first of many citizenship workshops. They also plan on reaching out to workshop attendees who become U.S. citizens about registering to vote.

**Note to media: Spokespersons will be available for interviews at 10:00 am on Saturday, March 3 at the Neal S. Blaisdell Center. We ask that members of the media be sensitive regarding the identity of people attending the Citizenship Workshop. There is a lot of fear in the immigrant community, and we would like to create as safe a space as possible. We request that you interview our designated spokespersons, rather than workshop attendees who may want to maintain their anonymity. We ask that you do not film or photograph the faces of workshop attendees unless you have their explicit permission. Thank you.

Local 5 represents approximately 11,000 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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