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Local 5 is front and center in the campaign to restore daily room cleaning

Cutting daily room cleaning is the biggest thing happening in the hotel industry. This plan to end daily housekeeping would permanently slash the U.S. housekeeping workforce by up to 39%. And Local 5’s campaign to restore daily room cleaning was all over international & local news this week!
 
Sheraton Waikiki housekeeper Julie Gabot spoke to The Guardian about how cutting daily room cleaning is impacting her workload.
 
Julie was also featured in the Blue Planet Foundation‘s video on her experience riding TheBus for over 33 years. Local 5 supports reliable, sustainable, and affordable public transportation.
 
NBC Nightly also covered our campaign for daily room cleaning, featuring Mary Taboniar, a furloughed Hilton Hawaiian Village housekeeper. She has been passing out leaflets to guests with her kids and coworkers, urging them to opt in to daily room cleaning.
 
MarketWatch also covered this issue, spotlighting Hilton Hawaiian Village housekeeper Nely Reinante. She is back to work, but still not getting enough shifts and hours because of the lack of daily room cleaning.

Ala Moana Hotel workers win contact tracing agreement

“Ala Moana Hotel workers scored another victory! Under our contact tracing agreement, the Hotel will immediately conduct contact tracing of positive COVID-19 cases and will notify all workers of the department, shift(s) and relevant dates. Also, they’ll provide a more detailed report to our Union. I have peace of mind because I’ll be informed if I’ve been exposed.” – Gina Porter-Alcos, banquet captain at Ala Moana Hotel 

June Victories Bulletin

Local 5 safety team at Turtle Bay Resort did a surprise inspection on property. They spoke to workers and did a walk through. The safety team will be meeting with company to discuss recommendations as they gear up for reopening on July 1. We’re getting ready to get back to work!

 

 

 

 

 

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Workers at Doubletree Alana (above) leafleted to bring back hotel services. F&B workers from the Moana Surfrider (below) leafleted in Waikiki to support housekeepers and push for daily room cleaning!

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Alfredo, a houseman at Sheraton Waikiki for 26 years with clean record was wrongfully terminated. A shop steward filed a grievance with the Union’s help to have him reinstated. We’re so happy he was brought back to work!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mary Ann, a Uniform Room Attendant at Hyatt Regency, won more work shifts after the housekeepers delegated the management

 

 

 

 

 

 

Waikoloa Beach Marriott workers worked as a team and pushed company to bring back more jobs.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fortunato from Hilton Hawaiian Village pushed back and demanded management to address workload and job combination in the housekeeping department. Hilton agreed and brought back another worker

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

May be an image of 1 person, standing and outdoorsLocal 5 members at Kaiser Permanente leafleted at the Honololu clinic to urge Kaiser to save our jobs! Kaiser plans to outsource dozens of local jobs to Califonia. UNITE HERE Local 5 has started contract negotiations with Kaiser. We aim to ensure that Kaiser becomes the best place to get care and the best place to work.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Local 5 represents over 8,900 workers in the hospitality industry. So far, we have won back 55% of the jobs we had pre-pandemic.

Hyatt Regency Waikiki guests upset that workers aren’t being called back to work

Hyatt Regency Waikiki workers handed out leaflets to guests off-property. When Hyatt housekeeper Vicky told a guest that she is not being scheduled to work because of the elimination of daily room cleaning, the guest was so frustrated and mad that workers are not being called back despite the hotel’s high occupancy. The guest asked for flyers to pass out to other guests inside the hotel, encouraging them to join our call to ask for their rooms to be cleaned daily.

Hyatt Regency Waikiki housekeeper wins back pay after management mistake

Melvin, a housekeeper from Hyatt Regency Waikiki, was supposed to attend a scheduled orientation to return to work. However, the housekeeping department failed to notify the other housekeepers. Melvin pushed back on housekeeping management. Hyatt agreed to reschedule and pay for wasting his time.

Local 5 members participate in Freedom Ride from Phoenix to Washington DC

On the sixtieth anniversary of the 1961 Freedom Rides from Washington D.C. through the South, over 1,500 UNITE HERE housekeepers, cooks, dishwashers, and food service workers from more than 15 cities across the country will join Black Voters Matter in the Freedom Ride for Voting Rights.

“I am participating in the Freedom Ride because Black and Brown working class folks continue to be silenced and oppressed by white supremacy. I am in solidarity with the folks in Arizona and all over the country whose voting rights are being suppressed. We hope this freedom ride would push our legislators and other decision makers to support For The People Act to ensure everyone has a voice in the country regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, class, and disability.” – Aina Iglesias, Local 5 member from DoubleTree Alana Waikiki