Thousands of Local 5 workers to kick off union contract expiration with largest march and rally in years
Media Advisory for June 22, 2018
Media Contact: Paola Rodelas
Office Phone: (808) 941-2141 ext. 270
Cell Phone: (808) 333-4782
prodelas@5.unitehere.org
Thousands of Local 5 workers to kick off union contract expiration with largest march and rally in years
20 Hawaii hotels have union contracts expiring in 2018; workers call on hotel companies to Provide One Job that is Enough for Hotel Workers
WHAT: UNITE HERE Local 5 march and rally to launch international union contract campaign
Click the map to see larger version
WHERE: Two march starting points at 1) Ft. DeRussy and 2) Kalakaua & Kaiulani. Both marches end with a rally on Kalakaua near the banyan tree and the Duke Kahanamoku statue. See attached map.
WHEN: Wednesday, June 27, 2018 (4:00pm – 6:00pm). Both marches start at 4:30pm. Rally near the Duke statue starts at 5:30pm.
WHO: Thousands of UNITE HERE Local 5 workers from dozens of hotels in Waikiki, including Marriott workers from five of the most prominent hotels in Hawai’i, who work in housekeeping, food & beverage, engineering, front desk, and more
WHY: Over 10,000 workers who work in 20 Hawaii hotels have union contracts expiring in 2018. Marriott, the largest and richest hotel chain in the world, operates eight Local 5 hotels[1], making Marriott the major employer that the union will be bargaining with this year.
Hotel workers are calling on Marriott to use its leadership in the global hotel industry to create jobs that are enough to live on in Hawaii. Local 5 members are the backbone of Hawaii’s tourism industry with record high visitor arrivals and spending, hotel sales, and room rates; yet workers struggle to live in the same city they welcome guests and travelers to.
Marriott employees in nine cities across the U.S. and Canada who are members of UNITE HERE will also hold simultaneous demonstrations in what will be the launch of an international contract fight for Marriott workers facing or already impacted by immediate contract expirations. In addition to demanding Marriott provide jobs that are enough for workers to live on in the cities where they work, workers will demand Marriott protect their ability to serve guests, use technology to innovate not cut human service, and offer stronger protections for safety at work, including sexual harassment.
VISUALS: Thousands of workers in red shirts, holding signs and banners that read “One Job Should Be Enough,” while they march down Kalakaua Ave. in Waikiki
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 250,000 workers throughout the U.S. and Canada. For more information, visit www.unitehere5.org.
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[1] Waikiki Beach Marriott, Sheraton Waikiki, The Royal Hawaiian, Sheraton Princess Kaiulani, Westin Moana Surfrider, Sheraton Maui, Sheraton Kauai, Waikoloa Beach Marriott
