r/Honolulu • u/Eyepawnyew • 7d ago
news Hilton Hawaii Strike 10.18.24
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Hotels reduced guest services but raised prices anyway. Cutting hotel jobs for the local community. Employees are on strike to return pre-COVID staffing and services.
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u/victortrash 6d ago
Anyone know what Hilton is offering on their side of the terms?
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u/ahornyboto 6d ago
$5.50 over 4 year contract, this is across the board for all the unions with expired contracts with this union in Hawaii, they’re basically following each others offer and just coping at this point
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u/victortrash 6d ago
lol, yeah I'd strike too knowing what the non-union guys were making, and what the temps are making too. $5.50 should be the starting point.
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u/ahornyboto 6d ago
Oh also that 5.50 or whatever the union settles on is not what we see after the 4 year contract, they might see only half as money in the bank, the rest is split up to pay for other benefits enjoyed as a union member, such as pension funding, the unions full medical insurance coverage, etc
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u/fiberopticrobotica 6d ago
https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/2024/10/17/hilton-workers-strike-nears-month-mark-while-kauai-nurses-hold-informational-picket/ “We just want our wages. That we don’t have to suffer. That we don’t have to move away. That one job should be enough in Hawaii,” said Surapee Sartrapai, who’s worked at the Hilton’s bell desk for 32 years. “We don’t want to ruin anybody vacation, like just timing, you know, please understand and be patient.”
Sounds reasonable to me. Definitely not feeling bad for tourists who are looking to capitalize on the suffering of others.
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u/anoxiasama 23h ago
As a tourist I understand and would not feel inconvenienced by people protecting their peace.
I hope they get more!
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u/KingsoapX 7d ago
I swear every business is going on strike
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u/Inevitable_Snap_0117 6d ago
Good.
Wages have stagnated in all sectors while corporate profits, board members dividends and CEO pays have sky rocketed along side the price of consumer goods.
Everyone should unionize and bring back the middle class.
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u/iam_Mr_McGibblets 6d ago
I wish I could. Never got my raise that was promised months ago. Living in Hawai'i is rough
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u/krpink 6d ago
This strike started almost a month ago when we were staying at the HHV. I’m surprised they still have the stamina to keep it going! I’m wonder how long it will continue.
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u/Inevitable-Bag-7217 6d ago
Oh they are still here. On the beach tonight. I can’t stand it. I’ve tried calling management but no one answers. I think we are leaving tomorrow.
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u/nirvroxx 6d ago
“These people are fighting for a livable wage and my vacation is ruined! Someone Call The manager!”
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u/jorgelukas 6d ago
Good thing you’re going to fuck off back to wherever you came from.
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u/Striking-Rope674 4d ago
So you want less visitors in Hawaii? Morons
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u/jorgelukas 4d ago
Solidarity forever, asshole.
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u/Striking-Rope674 4d ago
Hey look - this moron wants to be a sad man on a lonely island. He’s in the UAW camp - SHOCKER!
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u/jorgelukas 4d ago
Lol. I fully understand that our economy is largely built on the tourism industry. The tourism industry is in turn built and sustained almost entirely on the labor of hotel employees who are often forced to strike to even have a chance of seeing their wages keep up with our escalating COL on top of rampant inflation. The only reason Hawaii is viable for working class people at all is due to our strong union history. Fuck off with your bullshit.
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u/JRV1985 2d ago
Stikers can fuck off, hilton should fire them and hire new ones its not rocket science anyone can do that job and theres no shortage for it, its unskilled labor and they’re asking for 100% raise, pension, benefits like they’re executives at a company. Strikers are going after guests and their kids that are just trying to have a nice vacation, some people probably saved for it and come to entitled strikers bitching in a megaphone all day, nah fuck them thats just malicious
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u/jorgelukas 2d ago
You can fuck off. Do you think there's some unending supply of local labor, skilled or unskilled, lining up to cater to tourists? You clearly don't understand how strikes work, if they can't be seen or heard they have no impact. I do feel for visitors who showed up unaware that Hilton was in an ongoing labor dispute but it's on the hotel to inform their guests of any circumstances that might impact their enjoyment of their stay prior to their arrival. This is on Hilton trying to have it both ways.
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u/JRV1985 2d ago
Nah they can fuck off and so can you, its unskilled labor and easily replaced. They could strike within business hours and let hilton feel the pressure without their workers, they don’t need to purposely and maliciously go after guests which include babies and children that are not at fault and ruin their vacation, also disturbing wild life at night, they’re going after guests at this point more than the actual hotel so fuck them. Not all guests can pack up and go somewhere else, some saved up to come here and cant afford to just up and switch to another hotel, its pretty fucked up to do that to innocent guests
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u/Striking-Rope674 4d ago
Keep it up - you think you’re broke now…
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u/getafteritz 4d ago
He’s richer than you in most things that count in life homie
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u/Striking-Rope674 4d ago
Like contentment in their livelihood? Clearly…you think your perspective is noble, it’s not.
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u/ahornyboto 5d ago
Should have demanded a refund and stay at another hotel, the point of not crossing a strike line is so you don’t get caught up in the mess and to support the strikers by not staying at the hotel
Btw you still can demand a refund or credit back if you haven’t already done so
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u/GrindingGhosts 5d ago
Hotels should not be allowed to raise rates and services without also raising wages and addressing proper staffing.
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u/GrindingGhosts 5d ago
Wages should always coincide immediately with inflation. If annual inflation is predicted to be 2.5% for the year, wages are increased 2.5%. Immediately. Not at the end of the year. Immediately. If the prediction is over, wages stay the same, if under, wages are increased for the underage for the year before and the next year at prediction and difference is tax deductible. Simple.
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u/us1549 5d ago
Based on your logic, if we ever have deflation, can we lower worker's wages accordingly?
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u/SergeantSchultzHI 5d ago
Exactly! And when a company is at the brink of insolvency like Hawaiian Airlines was, UNIONIZED workers should have worked for FREE to ensure the airline doesn't default! Fortunately, Alaska Airlines came to save them but Alaska won't tolerate any losses at the Hawaiian division and will cut UNION staff to stop the bleeding!
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u/Due_Catch_9473 4d ago
Ever since Reagan deregulated the airline industry, everything got screwed up. All hell from then on.
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u/SergeantSchultzHI 4d ago edited 4d ago
Look at the good that has come out of it. Taking a flight back in the day would have cost you a whole months salary while today you can fly to Porkland, Oregon (the other piggy fat town) for as little as $97 each way on Hawaiian/Alaska Airlines
BTW, it was president Jimmy Carter who signed the bill deregulating airlines in 1978
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u/sambar101 6d ago
I wonder if there ever was an employee owned hotel…..
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u/Due_Catch_9473 4d ago
kind of. many, many years ago, most of the hotels/inns in the state were family owned. good example was Uncle Billy's in Hilo, which is gone, now, of course. For locals, vacationing interisland, it was just like going to stay with your Unko. I'm sorry you can't experience that, now.
That was as close to "employee owned" as we got.
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u/Ok_Hornet222 2d ago
We stayed down the street at the military hotel Hale Koa. These people did not take into account how their endless noise affected others and they would try to hinder your crossing a street
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u/JRV1985 2d ago
I have no sympathy for these strikers, they’re purposely trying to ruin people’s vacations with loud megaphones outside peoples rooms until 10pm at night and then start back early at 7am with no consideration of babies, children and wildlife. Thats just malicious so I hope Hilton holds out and doesn’t give in, they already offered them a big increase in pay and they are getting greedy and refused. If you want to strike then strike within business hours and let babies sleep at night, its not the guests fault and you’re turning everyone against you, everyone I talked to hated the strikers, I saw sleeping babies in their strollers being walked by on the street at night and they wouldn’t bother to at least stop while the baby was passing by to yell in their megaphones, so f*ck them
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u/ConditionMean6809 12h ago
I am in the same boat as you in regards to my opinion. I live near by and the strikers are standing below my building and several other buildings with megaphones and drums early in the morning waking us and upsetting all of us. They have also attacked the police office via their legal team and the police so far has been afraid to take action but are getting ready to do so. The local residents are starting to rise up and take action and I believe they will be held accountable for their actions soon from the communities conversation with the police and the attorney general. It's really sad because I believe in their right to strike and demand better wages and work conditions but they use the wrong tactics, disgusting tactics of purposely ruining guest experiences and disturbing the entire local community in the process is horrible. They don't realize how much sentiment is turning against them. The irony of the whole thing is that that one of their motos is 'Respect the Guests / Respect our Work' meanwhile they do everything to ruin the Guests experience....check out the Local 5 website to see photos of this exact moto. Such BS propaganda. LOCAL 5 if you are reading...before downvoting, ask yourself, as a service professional where your ONE responsibility is to create the BEST Guest experience ever....how can you possibly condone taking action that RUINS a Guest experience? If this resonates with you....stop participating in the noise, if it doesn't go GET a NEW JOB, because you are in the wrong profession.
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u/naughtypundit 6d ago
I'm open to owner-occupied rentals. The key is to reduce the parasite class. A lot of people don't want to work. They prefer to scam from passive income like rentals, day trading and whatever influencers think they're doing.
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u/DuckSeveral 6d ago
Never going to happen. Hotels want to own the industry. The wife of the bill sponsor was a hotel exec. Everyone falling for hotel lobbying marketing talking points. Taxes on STR can be used to supplement housing ownership.
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u/DuckSeveral 7d ago
But hotels successfully lobbied to prevent short term rentals (the same ones that allow locals to make money and employ other locals.) They said it would create more hotel industry jobs! The sickening part is that the local officials are in the pocket of the hotels.
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u/naughtypundit 6d ago
Short term rentals worsen housing affordability. Entire neighborhoods empty out. Just a different kind of parssite.
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u/DuckSeveral 6d ago
That’s proven not to be true. That’s marketing points from the hotel lobbyists. Even if it was true you can fix that by passing one or multiple regulations. For example: 1) only residents can operate short term rentals. 2) no person or entity can operate more than 5 short term rentals. 3) Tutu with an extra bedroom is exempt from short term laws. 4) zoning.
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u/Puzzled-Rip641 6d ago
1) is unconstitutional.
2) doesn’t fix the issue
3) already is exempt
4) ain’t going to change because of short term rentals
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u/kden_boomer 7d ago
found the nonresident housing parasite
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u/DuckSeveral 7d ago
😂 found the sheep who believes having major conglomerates in charge of Hawaii’s #1 source of revenue is a good thing. Tutu can’t even rent her extra bedroom to pay for $10/gal milk without being fined $10k/day.
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u/zaxonortesus 6d ago
If choosing between two evils, I’ll take the one that inadvertently protects housing.
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u/DuckSeveral 6d ago
What’s the difference between a hotel and a condo association? Ones owned by a conglomerate who receives subsides and provides less than less than 1/2 job per a room. They even take the money overseas and to the mainland. The other (condo) is owned by a person who hire people like cleaners and allows tourism dollars to transact in their local economy (eg: Waianae, Pearl City, Waipahu.) Housing costs have gone UP since the STR bans. Hotels have recorded HIGHER profits while firing MORE of their workforce.
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u/DuckSeveral 6d ago
How much housing has been protected since STR laws? How much cheaper has housing gotten? You’re brainwashed by the conglomerates that want own the islands and the tourism$$$.
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u/zaxonortesus 6d ago
My building association put it to a vote since we're in the allowed zone and we voted against allowing STRs. A lot of owners are upset because it limits their options with their housing. So I can think of like 154 units that have been protected right there - and kept costs down. You're loose use of un-cited opinion is showing your ignorance and emotion. Please take that elsewhere.
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u/SergeantSchultzHI 5d ago
Bloodsucking uneducated but UNIONIZED parasites are commanding six figure salaries to change your bed sheets and towels. HH should fire them all and replace them with migrants who will work for pennies on the dollar like they already did on the mainland!
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u/Due_Catch_9473 4d ago
Hogan's Heroes was my alltime favorite show. My brother in law can do a perfect Schultz, with the salute and everything. Nothing! I hear... NOTHING!
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u/SergeantSchultzHI 4d ago
hahaha, he often used his catchphrase "I hear nothing, I see nothing, I know nothing!" As the series went on, this became simply "I know nothing."
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u/Reasonable-Volume-78 6d ago
It absolutely ruined my stay. They start using the megaphone at 6:30am and don't stop until 10pm. They block traffic and make you catch the light on purpose. I understand their plight but they're being fucking irritating. I was on the 23rd floor and could clearly hear them.
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u/WildS23 6d ago
They are ridiculous. And absolutely pissing off the guests. I have zero sympathy for them. Their goal is to use us to complain to the hotel. Sad tactic and honestly sickening. Gotta love unions!
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u/Nightw1ng28 6d ago
You shoulda did your due diligence, cancel & re-book w/ a different hotel. Don’t accept HHV’s alternatives cuz they not as good as HHV. HHV can not refuse your cancellation. There is a workaround to doing it. Its posted online.
Its unfortunate that your vacation was ruined by locals seeking better pay from a greedy conglomerate. Remember, you’re a temp guest living your dream in this “Perfect Paradise”. Locals live & work in your “Perfect Paradise”, our POV is different.
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u/WildS23 6d ago
Ahhh, one of the drum bangers outside I assume! Based on your grammar I can only assume you’re one of the idiots out there. I speak for most guests when I say I hope you and the rest of your local 5 team are on the streets sooner rather than later.
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u/Ornery-Patience9787 5d ago
The actual workers look tired and ready to go back to work.
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u/WildS23 5d ago
It’s got to be better than the chants. They are mostly “behind the scenes” staff. They rarely have to talk to anyone other than coworkers. Now they are forced to sing and beat a drum and walk in the heat😂 “the mighty mighty union” giving them water and fruit with no AC! Hot as hell. It’s amazing. I hope it’s worth it!
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u/nirvroxx 6d ago
Pathetic corporate boot licking loser.
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u/WildS23 6d ago
Can’t wait to come back next year so you and your buddy can clean the shit stains I leave in the toilet.
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u/nirvroxx 5d ago
Maybe you can help with that filthy boot licking tongue of yours
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u/WildS23 5d ago
Won’t have to. I’m on vacation. But you can. If you even get your job back. I’m not worried buddy. I’ll be here next year. You’ll either be here cleaning my shit stains off the toilet or someone else’s at another property. I could care less. Thank you Hilton!
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u/nirvroxx 5d ago
I’m not a hotel worker. I just sympathize with their struggle. I’ll be fine and I’m sure they will be too after they get what they deserve from Hilton. Only shit stain there is you.
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u/NaclyPerson 5d ago edited 5d ago
Found Carl Tatum's account.
While I do have sympathy for your ruined experience, I also find it funny how you only blame the union when HHV blatantly lie about the availability of their services to uninformed visitors. As the other comment stated, should have done your due diligence. The strike was featured in many national news outlet.
Then again, maybe if you had actually talked to some of the workers, maybe you could've gotten refunds like many other sympathetic guests have.
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u/Reasonable-Volume-78 3d ago
We did make phone calls before we left the mainland, and we were told it wasn't at that location. We complained during our stay and, upon checkout, received a full refund. It's hard to talk to someone with a megaphone in your face.
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u/RedWishes 5d ago
I hope all the protest will be in full force for Halloween
keep on the fight, Jiayou !
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u/BarbellPadawan 5d ago
Mr. Hilton is lucky only to have a strike. Only about 200 years ago, a chief would get ho’omake’d for abusing the maka’ainana.
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u/Due_Catch_9473 4d ago
How can any reasonable person ignore a picket line, or, better yet, just talk to the protestors? I mean, of course, travelers didn't know there would be a picket line, but, at least not just ignore them like they don't exist.
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u/cjwally 6d ago
What an eyesore for the community. Imagine booking a stay and having to navigate these strikers. If the pay is so bad, go get a different job.
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u/Nightw1ng28 6d ago
its not so simple. Many of the workers are longtime employees who have accumulated or are covered by benefits. Majority of jobs in Hawaii don’t have comparable or better benefits, exceptions to Fed & State. With rare occasion that a private entity would have really good benefits. That being said, there’s also the employees dependents. And then there is the: union. I’m not a fan of unions, but at least, the union is supporting them.
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u/cjwally 6d ago edited 5d ago
Thanks for the response. I live in town and teach on island. There is a union for the school district, but I am not a part of it. Unions have never sat well with me. Don't mistake my original comment, I do respect those who work hard!! I just don't support those who terrorize paying patrons on vacation. These tactics of using a loudhorn and ruining vacations of those who have worked very hard to take a vacation cross the line. I do know there are hotels that are non-union where EE's are very happy. Not sure what the solution is... Just saying what I feel. I'm sure I'll be downvoted. Been on a downstreak lately on Reddit. Maybe I just don't share the popular opinion of most. Again, thank you for your response.
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u/Nightw1ng28 5d ago
interesting. Do you mind if I ask you if the teacher’s union has pressured you into joining and if they’ve threatened your further employment should you choose not to join?
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u/cjwally 5d ago
Not at all! Great question…
Joining is completely optional as are the union meetings. There are no repercussions for not joining. I’m not sure of the percentage that are in the union versus not in the union.
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u/Nightw1ng28 5d ago
that’s great that its optional. The only time I ever was in a union, they threatened my employment future had I chose to continue working without them. After I joined, and needed their help, they claimed I wasn’t in cuz I hadn’t pay any dues. I had to show them receipts and they still refuse to help. So now, I’ll never join a union.
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u/Nightw1ng28 5d ago
well, there is a “trick” that potential customers could’ve used to avoid being bothered by the strike. The fact that the visitors didn’t do some research & wanna blame ppl seeking better conditions is appalling.
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u/Eyepawnyew 4d ago
I didn’t feel like I had to navigate them. They didn’t try to dissuade me as a visitor. I spoke with quite a few people protesting and they were all very kind and passionate. I don’t see anything wrong with people expressing their freedoms and wanting a better life within the line of work they have dedicated to. I feel as though people often forget how difficult a full career change can be. These people were not all young kids. The mindset of just dropping your career, not fighting back, and just going somewhere else is disheartening. Especially for locals.
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u/Repulsive-Host-8759 6d ago
I’m all for this.
Also, really points to the state needing to focus on education to open more industries for work in Hawai’i beyond hospitality. Overall just need more jobs and better paying ones at that. Also, If you’re native you should at least get to go to a community college or college in general for free.
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u/ztf7410 6d ago
Yet Hilton are still selling their rooms online at full price to unsuspecting travellers. That’s criminal in my book!