HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – Hawaii now has two major labor disputes at two of its biggest industries.
While nurses remain locked out at Kapiolani Medical Center for Women and Children, workers at Hawaii’s biggest resort started what could be long strike.
At 5 a.m. Tuesday, about 1,800 UNITE HERE Local 5 workers at the Hilton Hawaiian Village walked off the job.
They’re seeking wage and staff increases but, unlike limited strikes this year, the union says this time, it’s for good. Their strike won’t end until they actually have an agreement with Hilton, according to the union’s financial secretary-treasurer, Cade Watanabe.
“It is significantly important for setting the standard for all of hotel workers in Hawaii,” he said.
Watanabe said because the Hilton Hawaiian Village is the largest hotel in Hawaii and the largest of the Hilton chain, it could set the pattern for other hotels in Hawaii and on the mainland, where UNITE HERE is seeking the same things.
“We need wages to be able to get ahead, not just get by, and we need a real commitment to address persistent workload staffing cuts,” Watanabe said.
Housekeeper Nely Reinante said fewer staff and higher standards have harmed her physically and emotionally.
She was afraid to strike at first, but “I don’t let the fear or the scary moments ruin my life,” she said. “I want to take it as a challenge, as motivation for me to continue fighting, not only for myself, but for the whole workers, for the whole community, and, of course, for my family.”
Other workers and union leaders say staffing levels make it impossible to meet the expectations of guests paying hundreds of dollars a day for their rooms.
Its day one, so guests said they haven’t been affected much. Some, like Elly Sukup of Washington, D.C., say they support the workers.
“I’m more concerned about the people and what they’re fighting for then, and if it affects me, well, that’s okay,” she said.
The Hilton strike mirrors walkouts across the nation, hitting top brands Hilton, Hyatt and Marriott, because the union believes the investment funds that own the properties will get the message.
“That’s an entity that doesn’t have the same kind of accountability that maybe a local owner or hotelier used to have decades ago,” Watanabe said. “Our industry has changed so drastically that the only way in which that we can defend workers and defend our communities is really to make sure that workers in every one of our cities are in the mix and part of the collective push.”
But hospitality consultant Keith Vieira of KV and Associates said investment firms often finance union pension funds and are sympathetic owners.
“Private equity is very different from some of the past owners,” Vieira said. “Then you have owners like Kyo-ya (Hotels & Resorts) that have owned it for 70-plus years, and they hope to for another 70 years, so they absolutely want to do the right thing.
“They’re also expected to clearly do the right ethical thing and not try to, you know, scrape by,” he said.
The union said hotel revenues are at record highs here and the companies can afford full staffing, but Vieira said with occupancy down in Hawaii, it’s hard to justify and understaffing could harm the brands.
“It makes no sense to cut back staffing on them in order to save a couple of dollars an hour from this great customer. Hawaii has had a good reputation,” Vieira said.
Hilton issued the following statement:
“Hilton Hawaiian Village Waikiki Beach Resort makes every effort to maintain a cooperative and productive relationship with UNITE HERE Local 5, a union that represents some of our Team Members. We remain committed to negotiating in good faith to reach a fair and reasonable agreement that is beneficial to both our valued Team Members and our hotel.
“We are also fully committed to providing guests with our signature hospitality and we have contingency plans in place to ensure operations continue to run as smoothly as possible.”
Given the union pledge to remain on strike until an agreement is reached, Watanabe said, “That could be pretty long, but our members understand that sacrifice.”
Watanabe said because it’s been six years since there was a lengthy strike in Hawaii, the union has built up both local and national strike funds to help workers sustain themselves for a long walkout.
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