Foreign-born residents make up 70% of Hawaii hotel housekeepers. Some have college degrees

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – As unionized hotel employees in Waikiki and Wailea call for better staffing and work conditions — a reminder of where many of them come from.

Nely Reinante is among thousands who do the dirty work of Waikiki. A hotel housekeeper since 2010, Reinante calls it backbreaking.

“We sacrifice a lot with our sweat and blood, but we just adapt. We just accept it to ourselves that it is our job. We need to love our job in order to provide the service that our guests need. And in exchange we can provide for our family,” she said.

Foreign-born residents make up nearly 70% of housekeeping cleaners in Hawaii and about half of kitchen staff.

In fact, a third of the state’s tourism and hospitality workers were born outside of the United States.

Some have college degrees and have had to give up their dreams and fields of study to survive in America.

“Many of us are graduates in the Philippines. But then we cannot carry the credentials coming here. Unless you’re gonna take the class again, or some do trainings. Because of housekeeping there’s no training, you’re only trained to clean,” she explained. “It’s really hard. It’s like fighting your own, your inner battles.”

For newly arrived immigrants who speak little English, cleaning is an easy way to make money quickly, and sometimes earn more than white collar jobs.

Employer-subsidized healthcare is a huge draw for mothers like Nerissa Acdel. She moved to Hawaii when she was 19.

“Working in the hotel, it’s like, good for me because I have a three kids like, you know, I have the benefits that they have the medicals, because living here with medical is so important, so I move in the hotel, like to work there to give a better future for my kids,” Acdel said.

Kids like Dania — whose parents moved to Lahaina from Mexico 20 years ago.

Though undocumented, they found work cleaning vacation rentals and restaurants. But there are downsides.

“They’re working these long hours, but they don’t get medical insurance, so don’t get any benefits. Through them, sometimes they get hurt, and they don’t get workers comp, they do have those jobs under the table being able to work,” she said. “But they are definitely sometimes taken advantage of.”

Those who do have a voice are using it.

And no matter how dirty or difficult the work, immigrants say they’re willing to sacrifice for their families.

Watch more episodes of HNN’s series “Immigration in Hawaii.”

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