Strike at Royal Hawaiian Hotel! Thousands of Local 5 members at Kyo-Ya Waikiki hotels honor Royal Hawaiian concierge strike, do not report to work

Media Advisory for January 26, 2018

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

Strike at Royal Hawaiian Hotel! Thousands of Local 5 members at Kyo-Ya Waikiki hotels honor Royal Hawaiian concierge strike, do not report to work

WHAT: Local 5 approves picket line to support the one-day strike of non-union Royal Hawaiian Hotel concierge workers

WHERE: Sheraton Waikiki and Royal Hawaiian loading dock (Kalia Road and Helumoa Road)

WHEN: Friday, January 26, 2018| 3:00a – 6:00p

WHO:  Thousands of Local 5 members from the hospitality, healthcare, and food service industries in solidarity with Royal Hawaiian concierge workers on strike.

WHY: Concierge workers at the iconic Royal Hawaiian Hotel, owned by Japan-based Kyo-Ya Hotel and Resorts, are on strike to stand up for good, secure jobs that are being threatened by subcontracting.

On October 2017, Kyo-Ya announced that they will subcontract their concierge work to Pleasant Holidays, a tour activities company, starting February 1, 2018.

The 11 concierge workers who work at The Royal Hawaiian are non-union. Thousands of UNITE HERE Local 5 members who work at Kyo-Ya’s four Waikiki hotels (Royal Hawaiian, Sheraton Waikiki, Westin Moana Surfrider, and Sheraton Princess Kaiulani) are honoring their picket line and not going to work. Many more Local 5 members from other union-represented workplaces will also be on the picket line in solidarity.

Local 5 has approved their picket line and Local 5 members are standing in solidarity with non-union concierge workers because subcontracting destroys our jobs, our families, and our communities.

The concierge workers are asking for their jobs to remain intact and in-house. They urge travelers and the community to join their picket lines at the Royal Hawaiian, Sheraton Waikiki, Westin Moana Surfrider, and Sheraton Princess Kaiulani.

VISUALS: Thousands in red shirts picketing near the Sheraton Waikiki and Royal Hawaiian loading dock, 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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PRESS RELEASE: Concierge workers warn travelers of possible strike at Kyo-Ya’s Waikiki hotels

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

Concierge workers warn travelers of possible strike at Kyo-Ya’s Waikiki hotels

If the concierge workers strike, thousands of UNITE HERE Local 5 members at Kyo-Ya’s Waikiki hotels will honor their picket line

Honolulu, HI – Concierge workers at the iconic Royal Hawaiian Hotel, owned by Japan-based Kyo-Ya Hotel and Resorts, are warning travelers and those who have business at Kyo-Ya’s Waikiki hotels that they could be affected by a possible strike to stand up for good, secure jobs that are being threatened by subcontracting.

The 11 concierge workers who work at The Royal Hawaiian are non-union. But if they do go on strike, thousands of UNITE HERE Local 5 members who work at Kyo-Ya’s four Waikiki hotels (Royal Hawaiian, Sheraton Waikiki, Westin Moana Surfrider, and Sheraton Princess Kaiulani) will honor their picket line and not go to work. Many more Local 5 members from other union-represented properties will also be on the picket line in solidarity.

On October 3, 2017, a group of concierge workers asked Kyo-Ya for a fair process to decide whether to unionize. A few weeks later, Kyo-Ya announced that they will subcontract their concierge work to Pleasant Holidays, a tour activities company, starting February 1, 2018. Concierge workers were given a choice to work for the subcontractor or take severance and leave.

“Our members have chosen to stand in solidarity with the non-union concierge workers because subcontracting destroys our jobs, our families, and our communities. Our union contracts are expiring this summer. Local 5 members are proud of the good wages, benefits, and job security that we have fought for over the years. Subcontracting is a top concern for our members because it takes away our good, secure jobs,” says Gemma Weinstein, President of Local 5.

“I have worked at The Royal Hawaiian for 31 years, and I have always looked forward to welcoming our valued guests back who are accustomed to our luxury level and personalized Concierge services. We have always been proud to be part of the Kyo-Ya family and are shocked and disappointed to find out that Kyo-Ya has decided to replace our entire Concierge staff with an outsourced Activity Desk. Our return guests have come to expect personalized recommendations, not those driven by profit and commissions,” says Wendy Nagaishi, a Royal Hawaiian concierge.

The concierge workers are asking for their jobs to remain intact and in-house. If their demands are not met, the workers warn tourists and the community that they will go on strike. They urge travelers and the community to not cross their picket lines at the Royal Hawaiian, Sheraton Waikiki, Westin Moana Surfrider, and Sheraton Princess Kaiulani.

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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Is Ala Moana The New Kakaako?

(Honolulu Civil Beat) – By Anita Hofschneider. Growing up in Waianae, Linda Nakagawara remembers getting really excited when her family would take a trip into town to Ala Moana Center. It was a big deal back then, browsing at Woolworth and looking at the fancy dresses at Ethel’s.

UNITE HERE Joins 126,000-member Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions

UNITE HERE Joins 126,000-member Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions

Local 5 health care workers add strength to Coalition’s efforts to improve care, jobs in Hawaii

 

HONOLULU—UNITE HERE Local 5 has become the newest member of the Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions, AFL-CIO, a federation of 33 local unions across the country united for the best care and the best jobs at Kaiser Permanente.

Local 5—representing LPNs, ward clerks and other health care workers employed at KP medical centers and offices on the islands—is the first UNITE HERE local to join the Coalition. Supported by Coalition-backed training and advocacy, union members have worked alongside physicians and health plan managers, earning accolades for outstanding patient care and gains in affordability and workplace safety.

The new local brings 1,900 union workers into the Coalition’s fold in Hawaii. OPEIU Local 50/Hawaii Nurses Association joined the Coalition in 2009 with 800 nurses.

“We’re delighted to join the Coalition. We’re confident that this will improve the lives of our union members and our patients who deserve quality patient care,” says Joyce Griffin, who works as a lead patient accounting representative at Kaiser Permanente and serves on the Executive Board of Local 5.

The Coalition unions represent 126,000 Kaiser Permanente workers through locals from some of the nation’s largest international unions—such as American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), Office and Professional Employees International Union (OPEIU), Service Employees International Union (SEIU), and United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW).

Local 5 has started the next step: formally becoming a party to the National Agreement and part of the Labor Management Partnership, a 20-year mutual strategy that has provided union workers with:

  • a stronger voice on the job,
  • ways to meet ever-evolving health changes and challenges,
  • the tools they need to deliver the best, most affordable care to the communities that serve KP members and patients, and
  • industry-leading wages and benefits.

About Local 5
Local 5 members in Kaiser Permanente and Hale Nani Rehabilitation & Nursing Center set the highest standard for wages and benefits in Hawaii’s health care industry, benefiting not only union members, but also all local health care workers. http://www.unitehere5.org/

About the Coalition
Since 1997, the Coalition has worked with Kaiser Permanente in the largest and longest-lasting labor management partnership in the United States to help provide affordable, high-quality care and service to KP members while ensuring industry-leading pay, benefits and working conditions for our union members. The Coalition unions have negotiated five industry-leading national contracts using an interest-based approach instead of traditional, position-based bargaining. https://www.unioncoalition.org/

Vacation rental issue moves to planning department

(Honolulu Star-Advertiser) – By Allison Schaefers. The perplexing question of how to cope with the jump in bed-and-breakfast establishments and transient vacation units now shifts to the city Department of Planning and Permitting and then the Honolulu Planning Commission.

Deal struck to sell Turtle Bay Resort to New York firm

(Hawaii News Now) – By Ashley Nagaoka. KAHUKU, OAHU (HawaiiNewsNow) – A New York-based real estate investment firm has struck a deal to buy the Turtle Bay Resort.