UNITE HERE Local 5 reached tentative agreement with Hilton, affecting 1,800 hotel workers

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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Kaiser members: LPN Apprenticeship Opportunity!

Kaiser members! Are you looking to become a Licensed Practical Nurse? If so, BSH, in partnership with Kaiser Permanente, Ben Hudnell Memorial Trust Fund, and Local 5, are looking for applicants for our free LPN training program. Selected applicants will become LPN apprentices at Kaiser Permanente and take courses through the University of Hawaii – Maui College. Classes (Online and on Zoom), labs (on Oahu at UH- West Oahu), and clinical experiences are offered three days out of the week to accommodate work schedules!

Applicants should be from ANY classification with direct patient care experience here on Oahu only. However, we will prioritize those with the following college credits: English 100 or 22, Math 75 or higher, Psychology 100, Pharmacology 203 and Biology 100 from an approved educational institution. This program is offered for FREE to the 10 applicants selected. For more information and to apply, visit www.banquetsolutionshawaii.org/lpn. If you are interested, please respond by July 5th, 2022.

RENT/UTILITIES FACT SHEET

RENT/UTILITIES FACT SHEET for L5

Quick Reminders
**If you are already an existing applicant, please email your original intake specialist before 6/30/22 (DO NOT REAPPLY)
** If you already have an application out with Council of Native Hawaiian Advancement, please reach back out to them before 6/30/22 (DO NOT REAPPLY)
**If you’ve been previously declined and think you may be eligible now, please reach out to your original intake specialist before 6/30/22 (DO NOT REAPPLY)

Updates As of 6/15/22
-One Oahu portal set to close on June 30th, 2022 by 4:30 pm—you must apply before this time on oneoahu.org/renthelp
-Any financial hardship due to COVID19 or DURING COVID19 (termination, car repair, loss of hours)
-2022 updated Average Median Income qualification
-Mooring fees
-Up to 18 months of total assistance, if eligible/funding available

Other things to Know
-Not all L5 applicants are with Sora, Haley, or Caitlin—we may not have direct access to your case
-You may still be eligible even if you’ve returned to work (must not exceed 2022 AMI)
-If you are not tech saavy, simply contact us via phone and we can assist you with applying. Otherwise, you will apply via oneoahu.org/renthelp and let us know so that we can pull your application from the bunch

Contact Info
-Email: Local5@catholiccharitieshawaii.org
-Sora 808-497-0328
-Haley 307-251-3852
-Caitlin 808-443-8227
Okay to TEXT if needed (within reasonable hours)
**Please do not give out our information to non L5 members or for anything other than Rent/Utilities Relief Program**

 

https://www.oneoahu.org/renthelp

VICTORY: Local 5 reached tentative agreement with Waikiki Resort Hotel

Victory! After months of bargaining, the Union and Waikiki Resort Hotel reached a tentative agreement on a new contract, replacing the CBA that expired almost 4 years ago. This win shows the impact of the standard we set on our 51-day strike back in 2018—better wages and benefits, job security, safer workplaces, and to make ONE JOB enough to live in Hawaii.

This victory sets the pattern for our remaining contract fights with the small properties that are expired and not yet settled (i.e., Queen Kapiolani Hotel, Ramada Plaza, Royal Kona Resort, and others). With our solidarity and unity, Local 5 is showing our employers that we’re not afraid to fight! Let’s continue gaining the momentum for our 2022 campaigns and raise the standard even higher for the working people of Hawaii!