FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE AUGUST 16, 2024

POIPU, HI –Today, hotel workers at the Sheraton Kauai Resort authorized a strike with a petition of 91% of workers giving the Union’s negotiating committee the power to call a strike at any time. This comes one week after workers from seven of Waikiki’s major hotels authorized a strike by 94% yes vote. Hotel workers in Kaua‘i and Waikiki are calling on the hotel industry to “Respect our work” and “Respect our guests” by raising wages to keep up with the rising cost of living, reversing staffing cuts that have led to painful working conditions, and agreeing to protect work associated with guest services and amenities.

Workers at the Sheraton Kauai Resort represented by UNITE HERE Local 5 have been in negotiations with Marriott International, Inc. since April and report that negotiations have been unsuccessful thus far.

“I’m ready to strike because I have had to work 12-hour shifts multiple days in a row because of understaffing.” said Raylene “Sissy” Pualani, Guest Service Agent at Sheraton Kauai Resort. “I have lost track of how many times I have asked management ‘When are we going to restore the staffing and service hours at the front desk to what it was before the pandemic?’ Four years later and that still has not happened.”

From 2019 to 2022, the U.S. hotel industry’s gross operating profit increased by 26.63%, while hotel staffing per occupied room decreased by 13%. In Hawai‘i, Revenue per Available Room increased by 23% from 2019 to 2023.

Here in Hawai‘i and across North America, many hotels have kept COVID-era service cuts in place, including shuttering VIP lounges, reducing and in many cases removing food and beverage options like in-room dining, and more.

According to a recent survey of nearly 4,000 Local 5 workers, 76% of respondents say they cannot afford an unexpected bill of $500. 78% of respondents said they believe their employers took advantage of the pandemic to cut payroll and make changes not beneficial to workers.

“Sheraton Kauai workers have taken a huge step toward securing a future for the people that live and work in Hawai‘i along with the future of Hawai‘i’s hospitality industry,” said Cade Watanabe, Financial-Secretary Treasurer. “We need proper staffing and tools to make sure that the future of hospitality in Hawai‘i is a bright one, and we deserve to be able to afford to be around to see that future.”

This month, thousands of hotel workers in seven cities across the U.S. have authorized strikes at various Hilton, Hyatt, Marriott, and Omni hotel properties. These cities include Baltimore, Boston, Honolulu, Greenwich, New Haven, Providence, and San Francisco. Strike votes are upcoming in Oakland, San Diego, San Jose, and Seattle.

Last year, UNITE HERE members won record contracts after rolling strikes at Los Angeles hotels and a 47-day strike at Detroit casinos.

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UNITE HERE Local 5 represents 10,000 workers throughout Hawai‘i 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