From ‘A’ali’i Dukelow
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HONOLULU (KITV) – With chants and signs waving, more than 100 hotel workers stormed the streets of Waikiki on Thursday demanding their jobs back.
According to Unite Here! Local 5, the union that represents these workers, has a third of its 9,000 hospitality workers unemployed.
Among the protesters in red T-shirts was Julie Gabot, who has been a housekeeper at the Sheraton Waikiki for about 33 years. Her husband is also an employee of the hotel and both have been laid off because of the pandemic.
Because of their seniority, Gabot and her husband are among the lucky few who have been called back to work.
“It’s really sad, because you know, I feel sorry for you because we are working with seniority, you are not working. So if we eat, they should eat too, ”said Gabot.
According to Gabot, the Sheraton doesn’t offer daily room cleaning to minimize the spread of COVID among guests and employees, which is why so many housekeepers remain unemployed.
“The company is still using the pandemic as an excuse, however,” Gabot added, suspecting that the hotel is not bringing some of its employees back in an attempt to cut costs.
About 60 percent of Local 5 union members got their jobs back, but the majority of them were offered part-time work.
One of them, Daren Miyasato, has been a banquet host at the Hyatt Regency Waikiki for 25 years.
“We only had 40 percent of our employees back at work before the Covid disease, so the work was very hard. I’m glad these people are working, but half of my employees are not working, ”said Miyasato.
KITV-4 contacted the Sheraton and the Hyatt – we haven’t heard anything yet.
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