For Immediate Release: Queen Kapiʻolani Hotel & UNITE HERE Local 5 Reach Tentative Agreement
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Queen Kapiʻolani Hotel & UNITE HERE Local 5 Reach Tentative Agreement
UNITE HERE Local 5 and Queen Kapiʻolani Hotel are pleased to announce that they have reached a tentative agreement on a new contract. Unionized workers at Queen Kapiʻolani voted by a 97% margin to authorize a strike last Friday.
Theresa Trimmer, a front desk supervisor for 20 years shared, “We will finally be catching up with the rest of Waikiki on wages and benefits. It was a long time coming, but worth all the early morning rallies and delegations we did.”
The new tentative agreement achieves workers’ goal of securing their jobs and will deliver good wage & benefit increases at the Local 5 standard set in 2018, with Local 5’s two island, five hotel 51-day strike of Kyo-ya owned hotels. Among the many improvements are improved workload standards for housekeeping, including a commitment to daily room cleaning, a reduction in the maximum assigned room credits in an 8-hour shift; recall rights of up 36 months; improvements to workplace safety; added protection against subcontracting; language regarding technology and automation changes, and various economic upgrades.
Lenie Rivera, a housekeeper for 20 years added, “We struggled a lot to win this contract, we rallied and we delegated the management numerous times. we did it because we are united…. One thing I learned from this fight is “where there is UNITY, there is always VICTORY because we are UNITE HERE.”
Jak Hu, General Manager, Queen Kapiʻolani Hotel said, “In the spirit of ongoing cooperation and support for our employees, Queen Kapiʻolani Hotel is pleased that we have reached a long-term agreement with UNITE HERE Local 5. The new contract allows us to meet the needs of our valued employees and continue to provide outstanding service to our guests. We are especially pleased that the term of the ratified contract ensures a strong partnership between Local 5 and Queen Kapiʻolani Hotel for many years to come. We all look forward to continuing to share the Aloha Spirit and island hospitality that kamaʻaina and visitors have come to expect while staying at Queen Kapiʻolani Hotel.”
