Modern hotel workers to stage rally this afternoon
Local 5, the union representing hotel workers, will rally outside of the Modern Hotel in Waikiki this afternoon. The union alleges that the hotel has fired 7 union supporters in the last 6 months.
From a press release:
Hotel workers at the Modern Honolulu – a Waikiki luxury hotel and from the Ilikai Hotel, both managed by Aqua Hotels will stage a protest and rally tomorrow afternoon in Waikiki.
The Modern Honolulu, which is managed by Aqua Hotels, has fired 7 union supporters in the last 6 months. In addition, more than 20 unfair labor practice charges have been filed with the National Labor Relations Board.
At the Ilikai Hotel, Aqua expects more from hotel workers and wants to give them less – less money in wages, less money for medical, and no right to be in the hotel worker pension fund.
At the Modern Honolulu, employee terminations and changes in operations have left workers concerned about whether or not they’ll have a job.
Workers are disappointed that promises have not been kept. E-Realty and Aqua representatives assured workers that their terms and conditions of employment would remain the same as they were while Marriott managed the property. (See http://www.kitv.com/video/29009841/detail.html for video of Aqua management making promises.) But on a seemingly daily basis, workers find new conditions that Marriott lived up to and e-Realty and Aqua have now taken away.
Workers’ families have lost medical, workers themselves have lost medical, people have lost holiday pay, overtime pay and many other conditions have worsened since e-Realty made its move.
“My concern is that the hotel has not lived up to its word when it comes to us employees. It’s scary to come to work and think you could be fired for no good reason at all. And it’s scary to think what other changes may be coming to this hotel,” said, Jason Maxwell – a bartender at the Modern Honolulu hotel.