April Victories Bulletin

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Our members have won back 245 union jobs since Hawaii reopened tourism, in addition to the positions recalled by management. Our members won these jobs back by fighting against job combos, management doing our work, understaffing, scheduling overtime instead of recalling workers, and more.

American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) –  UNITE HERE housekeepers, cooks, & bartenders led the largest union door-to-door canvass in the country. We celebrate this historic #AmericanRescuePlan which will give 100% COBRA health care coverage, provided $1,400 stimulus checks, $300-a-week unemployment insurance, and more.

 

 

 

 

Vaccines –  Local 5 successfully pushed for ALL hospitality workers to be eligible for vaccines in phase 1C.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ala Moana – Union negotiations with the Ala Moana Hotel resulted in victories for hotel workers. This includes recall rights for up to 36 months, daily room cleaning service, scheduling and volunteer list for workers!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ka’anapali Beach Club and Modern Honolulu – Several workers at the Kaanapali Beach Club and The Modern Honolulu who have been furloughed due to COVID-19 filed a grievance because management violated their bumping rights during permanent lay-off.

Diamond Resorts agreed for a settlement which totaled $18,000 and got the workers their jobs back and seniority reinstated.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ramada – The management tried to change vacation policy and encouraged overtime instead of recalling workers. The committee fought against them and successfully won!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sheraton Maui – Sheraton Maui committee members fought to have the seamstress position brought in-house. What used to be subcontracted work is now a bargaining position! Good job Sheraton Maui workers!

Local 5 Statement re: COVID-19 vaccines

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Media Contact:
Paola Rodelas
Cell Phone: (808) 333-4782
[email protected]

Statement re: COVID-19 vaccinations

Affron Herring, an assistant pantry worker at the Hilton Hawaiian Village who was able to get his COVID-19 vaccine because he is a military veteran.

Vaccines to prevent and immunize against COVID-19 are becoming increasingly available in the United States and in Hawaii. We are optimistic about the opportunities that a vaccine can provide for our community, especially for our workers in the hospitality industry, as the state continues to re-open tourism.

UNITE HERE Local 5 would like to work with the state and the hotel industry in creating and implementing a safe and inclusive vaccination program for our hospitality workers that includes:

  • Vaccinating all hospitality workers, not just front-of-house workers.
  • Encouraging vaccinations for whom it is safe. We do not support compulsory vaccination programs
  • Prioritizing hospitality workers for inclusion in the next phase of vaccination rollout, as they are essential workers who welcome both global and domestic travelers—including guests who are required to quarantine by the state, or have tested positive for COVID-19.

“I took the vaccine to help protect myself from others and to get back to work sooner,” says Affron Herring, an assistant pantry worker at the Hilton Hawaiian Village who was able to get his COVID-19 vaccine because he is a military veteran, “I hope the state and hotel industry will work with Local 5 so that my coworkers and other hospitality industry workers will get the same opportunity to get vaccinated as soon as possible.”

Alliance of Healthcare Unions – UPDATE

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QUICK HIGHLIGHTS

Positive Announcement about PSP Bonus Expected Soon
Over 50 Steering Committee Members Gathered to Prepare for 2021 National Bargaining
Deadline Extended: Solidarity Survey Extended to January 2021
New Initiative: Share Your Story

Progress in Discussions on 2020 PSP Payout

Discussions continue with KP leaders over the Alliance proposal for a guaranteed full payout of 2020 PSP for all regions, with a higher payout where stretch is achieved. Given the impact of COVID-19 on PSP goals, the Alliance has called on KP to provide guaranteed PSP payouts. Based on our discussions, we are hopeful that we will get a positive response to our proposal soon. We also expect any PSP bonus agreement to be equally applied to all partnership union members (Alliance and Coalition), in fair recognition of all workers’ contributions to the COVID-19 response. We will provide more detailed information as soon as we have a formal response from KP. We believe that KP will recognize the extraordinary, heroic contributions of our members and our partnership in the face of this overwhelming crisis.

Additionally, KP also mentioned they would soon be responding to the Alliance proposal to extend COVID-19 benefits and Childcare grant through the first quarter of 2021.

Alliance Leaders Meet to Prepare for 2021 Bargaining

Over 50 Alliance Steering Committee members virtually gathered last Thursday and Friday to collectively plan our vision and strategy for success in local and National Bargaining in 2021. Topics discussed included a review of our gains in 2018 bargaining, an analysis of KP’s current financial strength, and key issues in bargaining. Union leaders shared goals for local bargaining and possible national improvements in benefits, education and career development, staffing language, accountability to partnership, student loan assistance, and other areas.

While the pandemic continues to challenge KP and our members, Alliance leaders expressed confidence in our ability to win great contracts again in 2021. Kaiser’s economics, care model, and membership remain strong, and we have every reason to insist on national and local contracts that maintain and improve industry-leading pay and benefits. We have made progress in every round of partnership bargaining since the first national agreement in 2000, and we will mobilize and prepare to make sure we continue that progress in 2021.

Highlights from 2018 National Bargaining

Perspectives from ASC Meeting

“We know we are facing a tough situation in the midst of the worst public health crisis of our lifetime. Our members have stepped up to meet this moment with incredible commitment and expertise. KP is financially strong and we are more unified than ever. With this solid foundation, we are mobilizing for a great contract.” – Hal Ruddick, Executive Director

“The Alliance has provided more support in the last two years than we’ve ever had before” – Jessica Hack, UFCW Local 27

“I feel that we have a better understanding of the direction we will be going for National Bargaining” – Cindie McGinnis, UFCW 770

Solidarity Survey to Stay Open through January 2021

During the Steering Committee, union leaders decided to continue organizing to collect more responses to our 2021 National Bargaining Solidarity Survey through the end of January 2021 to meet our collective goal of a 70% completion rate. In the coming days, Regional Directors will reach out to discuss next steps to brainstorm opportunities and strategies to reach your members.

Alliance Storytelling Initiative

We are going through a crisis together. The Alliance wants to help union members tell their stories. How are our members feeling? How are they coping? We want to hear about victories and setbacks as we fight the pandemic as well as related stress and trauma as a result of racial, class, and gender inequality and uncertainty. We want to hear from you. If you’re willing to share your thoughts, feelings, and experiences, please submit your story below. If you have questions, please contact our Director of Communications [email protected]

We have two easy ways for members to share their story:

Upload your 60-second video here (2-minute max). To upload your video, click here.
Submit your written story.
Questions to get you started:
Describe your best day and/or your worst day since the pandemic started.
How has the pandemic changed your work?
How has your mindset changed from the very beginning of the pandemic to today?
What would you like to say to other healthcare workers?
What do you wish the general public knew about what it’s like to be a healthcare worker right now?
First Deadline for Launch: December 18, 2020

*Friendly Reminder: We are committed to protecting a patient’s right to privacy. Please omit patient names or any other identifying information when sharing your story.
To Learn More: https://www.ahcunions.org/share-your-story

Register to submit video testimony to keep Bill 80 alive

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Last week, the City Council failed to put Bill 80 on this week’s full Council agenda.  Shame on them! Bill 80 is straight forward – you either stand with workers like us or you side with the hotel bosses.  If Bill 80 doesn’t get a hearing now it will be dead.  There are two things we need your help with right now:

  • Last Friday, we sent a text msg encouraging you to call your Councilmember. If you haven’t done so, please call them now!
  • Register today to testify for Thursday’s Council Meeting to let the Council now how disappointed you are in them. Register to give video testimony on Resolution 20-296.

Let the Council know that a resolution is not good enough.  We need a Bill.  We need Bill 80 to be heard by the full Council asap!  A resolution is weak, shameful and disrespectful to workers.

We need the hotel industry to make a long-term commitment to providing good jobs as tourism returns.  If not, why else should locals support the return of visitors to our island?  The Council needs to step up and hold our hotel industry accountable.

Follow the directions below to register:

  1. Register for free for Webex: https://cart.webex.com/sign-up-webex. You must have an active email to do so.
  2. Once you’re registered, click here: https://www.webex.com/
  3. Click “Join”
  4. Enter the meeting number: 1463718942
  5. Click “Register” (see photo below)
  6. Complete your registration. Under “What item(s) are you speaking on?” write “Res 20-296” (see photo below)

Kaiser Community Petition

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As a member of our community, I stand with our frontline health care workers and the rest of our Maui community. We call on Kaiser Permanente to immediately hold off on any plans to close the Gastroenterology and Ambulatory Surgery services at its Wailuku Clinic until the State of Hawaii and State Department of Health conduct a full and public discussion through the State’s Certificate of Need review process to explore the consequences of Kaiser’s proposed closure of services.

Background

A message from UNITE HERE Local 5 & HNHP:

When Kaiser Permanente took over Maui Memorial Medical Center in 2016, Kaiser promised to improve continuity of care and reduce wait times for Maui residents’ health care.

Kaiser is breaking that promise.

Kaiser announced in August 2020 plans to close the Gastroenterology and Ambulatory Surgery services at their Wailuku Clinic.  This plan will remove several operating rooms from Maui’s health care system and put new load on the operating rooms at Maui Memorial Medical Center.

We are of course devastated by the potential loss of jobs at a time when Maui is experiencing its highest unemployment rates in memory, and when experienced health care workers remain crucial to rebuilding the health and safety of our community.  But we are equally concerned for patients and Maui’s health.

Kaiser’s plan to shut down services at Wailuku Clinic raises obvious questions about how this move will affect the waiting time for patient procedures and treatment.  Making patients move to a different facility and receive treatment from different care provider teams raises questions about the continuity of care for Maui people.

All of Maui’s population will be affected by this move, as Kaiser patients will now have to join the patients already seeking care at the limited remaining options on the island. Hawaii taxpayers will have concerns as well—Maui Memorial Medical Center receives millions of dollars a year in State tax dollars.

Thank you to all our supporters in the community, and mahalo for standing with us.

Stop Outsourcing! Kaiser Community Petition

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SUBMIT TESTIMONY TO SUPPORT BILL 80 – The Right to Return to Work

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Thanks to everyone who submitted testimony last week to support Bill 80, which requires daily hotel room cleaning and puts in place a process for hospitality workers who initially lost their jobs due to COVID-19 to be the first offered their jobs back as business returns.

Because of your testimony, Bill 80 was approved in 1st reading and will now be heard at the Honolulu City Council Committee on Executive Matters hearing next Tuesday, October 20 at 1:00pm.

We need you to submit testimony again to support Bill 80 ASAP. Over 1,580 people submitted testimony to support Bill 80 last week. Sadly, many hotel managers opposed Bill 80.

Follow the directions below to submit testimony to support Bill 80 directly to City Council:

  1. Go to: http://www.honolulu.gov/ccl-testimony-form.html
  2. Under “Name,” enter your full name.
  3. Under “Phone” and “Email,” enter your correct contact info. This is required info.
  4. Under “Meeting Date,” enter: 10-20-2020.
  5. Under “Council/PH Committee,” select: Executive Matters and Legal Affairs.
  6. Under “Agenda Item,” enter: Bill 80.
  7. Under “Your position on the matter,” select: Support.
  8. Under “Representing,” select: Self.
  9. Under “Written Testimony,” you can copy/paste the following or share why you’re supporting Bill 80:

Chair Menor and Members of the Committee on Executive Matters & Legal Affairs:

First of all, I want to thank you and your six colleagues that supported Bill 80 on first reading.  This is an important bill, especially given the prolonged impact of the pandemic and recent news regarding even more workers being permanently laid off.  On the same day that we “reopened” our State to visitors, the State’s food concession contractor at our airports laid off more than 600 hospitality workers.

I support Bill 80.  Bill 80 is about ensuring fairness for workers and our families, and its shameful that some in the hotel industry are so opposed to the bill.  Bill 80 doesn’t require businesses to do anything extraordinary other than make a commitment to workers that the jobs they once had could be there for them as business returns.  More importantly, why do we – as a community – have to fight so hard to convince our policy makers to support workers versus the corporations?  Workers are struggling.  We’re the ones in line at food distribution events, we’re the ones that have lost health care and haven’t worked for more than 6 months.

Cities all across our country, from Baltimore to Los Angeles have all passed similar measures.  So, why are hotel bosses so opposed to bringing back workers as business returns?  And why are they so opposed to offering daily room service when it’s known that cleaning high touch surfaces minimizes the risk of contact transmission of the COVID-19 virus?

For once, we need to know that you’ll stand with us too.

Thank you.

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