Local 5 hopes contract gains set standard for all Hawaii hotel workers

Unite Here Local 5 workers have ratified the Hyatt Waikiki contract, putting an end to the imminent threat of more strikes during this year’s contentious contract cycle, which involved local and national strikes.

The Hyatt contract, which was unanimously ratified Dec. 9, was the last contract to settle of eight hotels where Local 5 workers authorized strikes this year. They included the Sheraton Kauai Resort; the Hilton Hawaiian Village; the Hyatt Regency Waikiki Beach Resort &Spa; the Moana Surfrider — a Westin Resort Spa; the Royal Hawaiian, a Luxury Collection Resort; the Sheraton Princess Ka­iulani; the Sheraton Waikiki; and Waikiki Beach Marriott Resort &Spa.

Workers at the Sheraton Maui also have settled their contract, although they were not part of the strike vote because of the challenges the Maui community has faced after the devastating and deadly Aug. 8, 2023, Lahaina wildfire.

Cade Watanabe, Local 5 financial secretary-treasurer, said the newly ratified hospitality contracts, which cover 5,456 workers across nine hotels, are based on the Hilton Hawaiian Village contract, which set historic wage standards of $10-per-hour raises across-the-board over four years for nontipped workers, $6.50 in raises for tipped workers and $8.50 for uniformed-service workers.

Watanabe said the agreements included the first language incorporating lessons learned after the COVID-19 pandemic and the Maui wildfire to protect workers after disaster and business-stopping emergency proclamations. However, he said Local 5 still has further to go with additional contract talks coming up for about 2,842 of its union members working at 11 hotels across the state whose contracts have recently expired or will soon expire.

“We have a very good standard for hospitality workers across the state that, whether you are in Local 5 or not, we think lifts everybody’s boats up a little bit,” he said. “But we continue to mobilize because we still have a lot of work in front of us.”

Watanabe is hopeful the remaining contracts will settle fast, as others have throughout this cycle. He said Kyo-ya workers settled a 51-day strike in November 2018 but it took Local 5 much of 2019 to secure new contracts at the Hilton Hawaiian Village and the Hyatt Regency Waikiki Beach Resort &Spa.

In November, workers at the Hilton Hawaiian Village ended a 40-day strike tied to the most recent contracts, which coincided with strong UNITE HERE national union campaigns. Watanabe said Local 5 was able to settle new contracts at other hotels where strike votes had been taken within a week of settling the Hilton Hawaiian Village strike.

“That strike at Hilton Hawaiian Village obviously drove the pattern that we are trying to set everywhere else,” Watanabe said. “It really did set the stage for us to deliver contracts so quickly, which I think goes a long way not just for our members but is an important part of us being able to make sure that tourism stays strong and vibrant.”

Watanabe said workers also conveyed their seriousness when the contract cycle kicked off with 5,000 Local 5 workers from the eight properties that authorized strike votes going on a three-day strike over the busy Labor Day weekend. He said the limited-duration strike was the largest Local 5 hospitality workers action in more than 30 years.

“We did that intentionally so that we could get these contracts settled before the holiday season so that we could again really focus in on the level of service that we want to provide to our guests, and make sure that we are in the best position possible at the busiest time of the year to welcome guests back to Hawaii and not have looming over our heads the threat of labor disputes,” Watanabe said.

Plan for emergencies

Adam Wit, Hilton’s vice president and senior counsel, labor relations, said in an earlier statement that Hilton believed “this agreement is beneficial to our valued team members and to our hotel,” and that it looked “forward to welcoming our team members back to work and continuing to provide our guests with our signature hospitality.”

Michael D’Angelo, head of labor relations — Americas, Hyatt, said in a statement the Hyatt was pleased to announce that Hyatt Regency Waikiki Beach Resort &Spa had reached a new four-year collective bargaining agreement with UNITE HERE Local 5 with “terms that have our employees’ best interests in mind.”

“Under the new collective bargaining agreement, we continue to offer competitive wages and benefits, as well as comprehensive healthcare coverage, ” D’Angelo said. “Our colleagues are the heart of our business, and we continue to recognize and value their contributions.”

Traditionally, Local 5 uses contracts at its top Waikiki hotels to set the standard for other hotels statewide. In addition to meeting historic wage hikes, the largest in modern history, the remaining hotels are under pressure to incorporate new language that addresses the kinds of major industry impacts that cause slumps in tourism.

Watanabe said if workers ever again face a situation similar to the pandemic or the Maui wildfire, or any instance in which there is a local, state, federal emergency proclamation, they now have an agreement that provides space for the union and its employers to meet to talk about the impact of those situations on Hawaii’s hospitality industry and on Local 5’s workforce.

“We also have through that agreement a commitment that should any of our members lose hours or get laid off through that situation, our employers are going to make real commitments to make sure that our members’ medical coverage gets maintained for a specific period of time,” he said.

Recall provisions

Given the vast changes in the hospitality industry, Watanabe said Local 5 also prioritized securing other workload and staffing improvements in the latest Waikiki contract standards.

“We memorialized in our actual contract recall and severance language which provides workers with a real commitment of their value to these hotels should their hours get cut or should they find themselves in a position where they get laid off,” he said.

Todd Yokoyama, a valet at the Hyatt Regency Waikiki Beach Resort, said he is thankful that ratification of the latest Hyatt contract means workers are no longer in a labor dispute and because it secured wages “not just for us to scrape by but to get ahead.”

“For me the contract helps me in that I don’t have to be looking at my paychecks in my bank account week by week making sure that I can pay rent,” he said. “I hope to God that other people who are in a different situation than me, that this can allow them to only have one job and to get ahead.”

But it’s not just wages that Yokohama is concerned about; he hopes that other workers whose contracts are ending also are able to secure protections in emergency situations.

“I worked at the DoubleTree Alana for seven years and when COVID hit I lost my job. One thing lead to another and I never went back. It’s very important that DoubleTree workers (whose contract is expiring Dec. 31) get that language,” Yoko­yama said.

Hilton did not immediately respond to a request for comment regarding the upcoming bargaining at the DoubleTree.

The next round

Watanabe said a number of smaller properties, including the Hyatt Centric Waikiki Beach, the Waikiki Resort Hotel, Queen Kapiolani Hotel, Ramada Plaza by Wyndham Waikiki, Hilton Garden Inn Waikiki Beach, Best Western The Plaza Hotel Honolulu Airport and the Imperial Hawaii Resort “are under long-term, what we call ‘Me-too agreements,’ so the Waikiki standard that we achieved is now their standard.”

He said Local 5 will use these standards to set the tone for coming contract negotiations. Contracts expired in June at the Ilikai Hotel &Luxury Suites, and in October at the Hale Koa Hotel, and by the end of 2024 contracts will expire at the DoubleTree Alana, the Modern Honolulu, the Imperial Hawaii Resort, the Ritz-Carlton Oahu, Turtle Bay Resort, the Kahala Hotel &Resort and the Waikoloa Beach Marriott.

The contract for Royal Kona Resort on Hawaii island will expire early next year, the Ala Moana Hotel in June and the Kaanapali Beach Club on Maui in July.

He said dates have not yet been set for the next round of bargaining, but strategies are already in play, and Local 5 workers have planned a Jan. 3 rally at the Kahala.

The Kahala Hotel &Resort said in a statement that it was “surprised to learn of UNITE HERE Local 5’s plans to rally in front our hotel, as we follow the same agreements as hotels in Waikiki and have provided wage increases ahead of the expiration of our current contract on December 31, 2024. While it is disappointing to hear about the rally, we remain committed to honoring the terms of their new contract and supporting our team members.”