Workers claim hotels are ‘using the pandemic as their excuse’ for not bringing some employees back
By ‘A’ali’i Dukelow
Click here for updates on this story
HONOLULU (KITV) — Belting chants and waving signs, more than 100 hotel workers stormed the streets of Waikiki Thursday, demanding their jobs back.
According to Unite Here! Local 5, the union that represents these workers, a third of its 9,000 hospitality employees are out of a job.
Among the sea of red t-shirt clad demonstrators was Julie Gabot, who has been a housekeeper at the Sheraton Waikiki for about 33 years. Her husband is also an employee at the hotel and both were laid off due to the pandemic.
Because of their seniority, Gabot and her husband are some of the few lucky ones who were called back to work.
“It’s really sad because you know, I feel sorry for them because us higher seniority are working, they are not working, so if we are eating, they should be eating too,” Gabot said.
According to Gabot, the Sheraton does not offer daily room cleanings to minimize COVID spread among guests and staff, which is why so many housekeepers remain out of work.
“The company is still using the pandemic as their excuse, though,” Gabot added, suspecting the hotel is not bringing back some of its workers to cut costs.
About 60 percent of the Local 5 union members got their jobs back, but the majority of them were offered part-time schedules.
One of them, Daren Miyasato, has been a banquet porter at the Hyatt Regency Waikiki for 25 years.
“We have only 40 percent of our pre-covid (staff) back to work so it’s been very hard at work, I’m glad those people are working but yet, half of my staff’s not working,” Miyasato said.
KITV-4 reached out to the Sheraton and the Hyatt — we have not heard back yet.
Please note: This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.
