Hawaii State Teachers Association President Corey Rosenlee has written a letter to Kyo-ya Hotels and Resorts management in Hawaii, expressing HSTA members’ concern about the current state of negotiations between Marriott Hotels and the thousands of UNITE HERE Local 5 members who work at Marriott Hotels across the country.
“Because of our concern, we have joined the ‘One Job Should Be Enough’ campaign. By signing on to this campaign, we are committed to not using any Marriott Hotel because of the strike and we are encouraging our members to do the same,” Rosenlee wrote.
“Our organization cares deeply for workers across all industries and stands with them to improve their wages, health benefits, workplace discrimination protections, retirement security, and job site health and safety,” Rosenlee added.
Rosenlee asked Kyo-ya management to "honor the efforts of your hard working, loyal employees by settling a fair contract with them quickly.”
Roughly 2,700 unionized Local 5 employees from Hawaii’s Marriott hotels have been on strike since Oct. 8.
Without employees for housekeeping, restaurants or in-room services, visitors who are staying at the five hotels where workers are on strike have taken to social media to complain about what they thought would be their dream Hawaii vacations. One couple has sued over their bad honeymoon experience, some customers are asking for full or partial refunds while others are urging other visitors to stay away.
The hotels — operated by Marriott and owned by Kyo-ya in Hawaii — where employees have gone on strike are: Sheraton Waikiki, The Royal Hawaiian, Westin Moana Surfrider, Sheraton Princess Kaiulani and Sheraton Maui.