July 2017 Workers Lead Bulletin

Hundreds rally in solidarity with the Ilikai workers, the Queen Kapiolani bell department wins $1946.50, worker-led delegations at the Hilton Hawaiian Village and Sheraton Waikiki, and more. Read below for more Local 5 victories. (Printable PDF version of our July 2017 Workers Lead Bulletin: English and Chinese.)

Hundreds rally for Equal Work, Equal Pay

Hundreds of Local 5 members and the Summer Institute for Union Women (SIUW) rallied in support of the workers at The Ilikai Hotel, a subsidiary of Aqua-Aston Hospitality. They are working more for less. They are paid $3.51/hour less than the union hotel workers across the street, and they have to clean rooms that are much larger with full-sized kitchens.

Local 5 is Hawaii’s Best Union for second year in a row

We were voted Hawaii’s Best Union for the second year in a row! Mahalo to our Local 5 members for making this possible. We proudly serve our state, our country, our economy.

 

Sheraton Waikiki Rumfire workers continue to build power in workplace

Workers from Rumfire in Sheraton Waikiki delegated human resources and delivered a petition signed by over 75% of their room demanding respect in the workplace. They had a follow up delegation with management to demand respect on the job. Stay tuned for updates on the workers’ next steps to unite, build power, and create positive change in their workplace.

Workers at the Hale Koa’s Bibas Courtyard Grill featured in Star-Advertiser

The Star-Advertiser featured our members at the Hale Koa’s Bibas Courtyard Grill in their July 6 paper. Bibas was struggling for years & the hotel wanted to shut it down. But our member-led Food & Beverage Success Committee stepped in helped turn the restaurant around. Workers called for menu revisions, better marketing, etc. Read the full story here.

Hilton Hawaiian Village housekeepers fight for fair workload

Hilton Hawaiian Village housekeepers delegated the HR director to address concerns about the new timeshare tower, the Grand Islander. Housekeepers are struggling to clean its rooms because they are larger and have hardwood floors and glass showers. They scheduled a follow up meeting to further discuss the room credits.

Queen Kapiolani bell department wins $1946.50

Queen Kapiolani bell department workers did not receive porterage from some special groups staying at the hotel. With the help of their shop stewards Theresa Trimmer and Josie Flora, they won $1946.50 total.