NOTICE: Membership Meeting for Dues Increase Vote

The Local 5 Executive Board has called a Special Membership Meeting to discuss and take action on a proposed dues increase. The Special Membership Meeting will be conducted in a series of sessions on the islands of Maui, Hawaii, Kauai, and Oahu:

MAUI: HAWAII ISLAND: KAUAI: OAHU:
Monday, November 18, 2019

Sheraton Maui Hotel (Kula/Hana Room)

6:30am-8:30am, 11:00am-1:00pm, 2:30pm-6:30pm

 Tuesday, November 19, 2019

Royal Kona Resort (Kailua Room)

6:00am-9:00am, 12:30pm-6:30pm

 

 Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Sheraton Kauai
(Poipu Ballroom)

10:00am-5:30pm

 Thursday, November 21, 2019

Hilton Hawaiian Village (Great Lawn)

6:30am-6:30pm

Only members who will be affected (Tier 1 members) by the $10.00/month dues increase may vote. Tier 1 workers are those in the hotels (except for The Hale Koa Hotel, which is a Federal government employer) and those in Kaiser Permanente. Tier 1 members may vote at one session only. You must be a Local 5 member in good standing to attend this meeting. If you are unsure of your membership status, please call the Local 5 office at 941-2141 or toll free (800) 585-4373.

Voting on the dues increase will be by secret ballot. Ballots shall be sealed and stored after each session of the Special Membership Meeting, and counted immediately following the final session.

You will be asked to vote YES or NO on the following question:

“Shall Local 5 dues be increased by ten dollars ($10.00) per month effective January 1, 2020 for those union members in Tier 1?

A YES vote means that each Tier 1 member’s monthly dues shall be allocated to the Union’s strike and defense fund until the fund reaches $10 million and thereafter as necessary to replenish the fund to the $10 million level. When the strike fund balance has exceeded $10 million, two dollars from each Tier 1 member’s monthly dues shall be allocated to the strike fund. The fund shall be accounted for separately from the Union’s other assets but does not need to be segregated from those assets and may be commingled for custodial and investment purposes. The fund may be used to pay benefits to workers, whether they are yet members or not, who are not working due to a labor dispute arising from collective bargaining or organizing, including but limited to workers who are on strike or locked out due to their union activity. Expenditures from the fund shall be proposed by the Secretary-Treasurer and approved by the Executive Board. Expenditures may be made in accordance with policies set by the Executive Board without additional approval of specific items.”

The Local 5 Program has won every fight. At the Hotels. At Kaiser.

  • Higher wages
  • Strongest Job Security
  • Secure Pensions
  • No Monthly Deductions for Health Benefits

The companies want to end our winning streak. They don’t like how much our contracts cost them.

You have to decide if a few pennies more per hour in dues is worth what our contracts deliver. $0.06 more per hour in dues for full-timers will rebuild our Strike Fund and strengthen our Fight Funds to protect Local 5 members everywhere and boldly commit to growing our Union.

Voting YES means we’ll be ready. Voting no means we won’t. Your vote decides.

Notice re: Local 5 Election

Local 5 members:

You should have received an envelope in the mail with “UNITE HERE LOCAL 5 OFFICIAL BALLOT ENCLOSED” on it. This is your official ballot for the Local 5 election.

If you do not receive your ballot, please call the Election Committee Chair at 808-284-6635 or at the Local 5 office at 808-941-2141 x264, Monday-Friday from 7am-12pm.

Message from Local 5 President, Gemma Weinstein

Check this video of Local 5 President Gemma Garampil Weinstein

Submit your testimony to show strong support to Bill 85 and enforcement provisions in Bill 89 re: vacation rentals

Submit Testimony to Support Bill 85!

Sheraton Kauai workers ratify union contract

UNITE HERE! Local 5
For immediate release: February 15, 2019

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

Sheraton Kauai workers ratify union contract

This is the 8th Marriott-operated hotel in Hawaii to reach an agreement with Local 5, after Marriott workers led a historic nationwide strike in 2018

(KOLOA) – UNITE HERE Local 5 members who work at Sheraton Kauai voted overwhelmingly yesterday to ratify a union contract that covers over 200 workers.

The contract is modeled after the contract agreement that was reached on November 27 with Kyo-ya, which owns five Marriott-operated hotels. Beginning in October 2018, nearly 2,700 workers at the five hotels went on strike for 51 days with the demand that one job should be enough to live in Hawaii. It was part of a nationwide strike, involving over 7,700 Marriott workers from 23 hotels in eight cities.

Sheraton Kauai workers also authorized a strike, but they did not go on strike when nearly 2,700 Kyo-ya workers began striking on October 8. But the “One Job Should Be Enough” message nevertheless resonated with Sheraton Kauai workers.

“The Sheraton Kauai workers are grateful to the Kyo-ya workers who went on strike and paved the way to a great contract for everyone. We love Local 5!” says Edwin Pascua, a doorman at the Sheraton Kauai.

The new union contract includes job security; reductions in subcontracting of staff positions; worker involvement in the implementation of new technology and automation; a child/elder care fund; a reduction in workload for housekeepers; an increase in wages, an increase in pension contributions; and an increase in health and welfare contributions.

Collective bargaining agreements at 20 Local 5 hotels expired in 2018. With eight union contracts settled and 12 more hotel contracts remaining, the “One Job Should Be Enough” campaign continues. Local 5 now turns its attention to making one job enough for other hotel workers, other Local 5 members who work in healthcare and food service, and the broader community of working people.

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UNITE HERE 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 270,000 workers throughout the U.S. and Canada. For more information, visit www.unitehere5.org.

Sat. 3/30/19: Free Citizenship Workshop

In partnership with unions, immigration attorneys, and community organizations, our Citizenship Workshop aims to provide one-on-one assistance for legal permanent residents (aka green card holders) who want to apply for U.S. citizenship.

If you are a green card holder and are interested in becoming a U.S. citizen, please attend this free workshop! It’s open to everyone, not just Local 5 members.

You must register to attend! Deadline to register: 3/16/19. Space is limited. To register, visit https://www.citizenshiphawaii.org/citizenship-workshops/ or contact Paola at 808-941-2141 or prodelas@5.unitehere.org

To see if you meet the basic eligibility requirements for U.S. citizenship, visit https://www.citizenshiphawaii.org/become-a-u-s-citizen/

Volunteers are needed as well! Please contact us if you are interested in volunteering. We will reach out to you soon with details on volunteer shifts, trainings, and more.