Every Friday
6:30a – 7:30a
Front of Aston Waikiki Beach Hotel (Kalakaua Ave. and Paoakalani Ave.)
Do you believe that workers deserve respect? Rally in solidarity with the Aston Waikiki Beach and Hotel Renew workers every Friday from 6:30a-7:30a. They have been fighting for a fair process to decide whether to unionize, but management refuses. If you have any questions, contact us.
Saturday, April 2, 2016
9:30a-5:30p
UNITE HERE Local 5 (1516 S King St. Honolulu, HI 96826)
Do you want to see change, but the people around you are apathetic? We’re hosting a workshop on how to move people to action! Breakfast and lunch provided. For more information, email [email protected].
Friday, April 1, 2016
1:00p
University of Hawai’i at Manoa – Saunders Hall, 442 (2424 Maile Way, Honolulu, HI 96822)
The University of Hawaii at Manoa’s Graduate Student Sociological Association is hosting an event “Labor and Social Movements in Hawai’i,” as part of their Sociology on the Ground Speaker Series. It will feature AiKea organizer Paola Rodelas Groves, Aikea at UH organizer Aina Iglesias, and Unite Here! Local 5 Secretary-Treasurer Eric Gill. For more information, contact GSSA Treasurer Nick Chagnon at [email protected].
This is our last chance to submit testimony on HB 1850 HD1 SD1! It is going to be heard by the Senate’s Ways and Means Committee TOMORROW (Tuesday, March 29) at 9:15a. No oral testimony will be taken, but written testimony can still be submitted today.
Tell corporations like Airbnb to SHARE BETTER!
Please submit testimony to the Senate’s Ways and Means Committee to OPPOSE HB1850 HD1 SD1. Here are updated talking points (PDF) and a fact sheet (PDF) if you need more information. You can resubmit old testimony as well. Or you can use the form below:
This action has expired and the email form is no longer available.
HB1850 HD1 has crossed over to the Senate floor and it already has another hearing coming up on Thursday, March 17 at 9:30a at the State Capitol Conference Room 229. This bill will allow companies like Airbnb, which advertises vacation rentals, to shield themselves and illegal vacation rental operators using their services from regulatory scrutiny by collecting taxes from them and giving them to the state without telling the state who the taxes came from.
We’ve told you in past emails why we strongly oppose these bills and how illegal vacation rentals negatively impact us. In addition, we have these serious concerns:
Tell corporations like Airbnb to SHARE BETTER!
Please submit testimony to the Senate’s Tourism and International Affairs Committee and the Commerce, Consumer Protection, and Health Committee to OPPOSE HB1850 HD1. If you can testify in person at the hearing, please do! Here are updated talking points (PDF) and a fact sheet (PDF) if you need more information. You can resubmit old testimony as well.
To submit testimony, sign in at capitol.hawaii.gov, click on Submit Testimony and enter the bill number (HB1850). You can submit full written testimony, fill out the web form with comments, or testify in person. Don’t have an account? Email [email protected] and [email protected]. Please try to submit by Wednesday, March 16, 9:30 am if possible, but late testimony still helps!
Tuesday, March 8, 2016
Doors open 3:30p
Program and Action 4:30p – 6:00p
Queen Kapiolani Hotel – Ballroom (150 Kapahulu Ave, Honolulu, HI 96815)
International Women’s Day (March 8) is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. In Honolulu, we will be honoring women’s work and recognizing the labor roots of this commemorative day. Tourism is Hawaii’s #1 industry, with major departments like hotel housekeeping made up of mostly women workers.
We will spotlight the stories of women in Hawai’i who had the courage to stand up against unsafe working conditions and disrespect on the job and provide space for others to share their stories. We will discuss organizing to create real change in the fight for gender equality and will take action on current issues affecting Hawaii’s working women today.
RSVP on our Facebook page, or email [email protected] if you have any questions.
About International Women’s Day
The first National Woman’s Day (NWD) was observed across the United States on February 28, 1909. It was organized by the Socialist Party of America in remembrance of the 1908 strike of the International Ladies’ Garment Workers’ Union (ILGU). These workers, primarily women and immigrants, were striking to speak out against their deplorable working conditions. Their plight escalated after the 1911 Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire, the deadliest industrial disaster in the history of New York City and one of the deadliest in U.S. history. Because the owners locked the doors to the stairwells and exits to prevent workers from taking unauthorized breaks and to reduce theft, many workers could not escape. 146 workers died as a result. Most of them were young immigrant women.
ILGU later became the Union of Needletrades, Industrial and Textile Employees (UNITE) in 1995. Then in 2004, it merged with Hotel Employees and Restaurant Employees Union (HERE) in 2004 to create a new union known as UNITE HERE. Here in Hawai’i, UNITE HERE Local 5 represents over 10,000 workers in the hospitality, healthcare, and food service industries. Like the garment workers who sparked Women’s Day, a large number of Local 5 members are immigrant women.
Women workers have made a lot of progress since the start of IWD, but more work needs to be done to create safe and equitable working conditions for women. Nationally, research has shown that women and people of color are particularly vulnerable to workplace injury. Housekeepers are more prone to workplace injury than coal miners. Locally, 100% of housekeepers at the Aston Waikiki Beach and Hotel Renew reported that they feel pain on the job.
Monday, February 29, 2016
Registration at 5:30p
Program 6:00p-7:30p
Sacred Hearts Academy (3253 Waialae Ave, Honolulu, Hawaii 96816)
FACE and Caring Across Generations are organizing a town hall meeting on long-term care.
Their plan to ensure everyone in Hawai’i can care for our kupuna is making great progress. It’s time to bring the plan to the next level by showing our elected officials how much we support long-term care.
Join elected officials, activists, advocates, and experts for a town hall meeting at Sacred Hearts Academy to encourage our elected officials to make this bill a priority.
SB 2478’s chief sponsor, Senator Roz Baker, will speak about how she developed the plan and how we can make sure it passes. Community members will share their stories of how this plan will affect their families. And there will be plenty of time for questions — so you can have your say as well.
The event is free and open to the public, and there is plenty of free parking at Sacred Hearts.
Want to learn more about the legislation? Visit www.care4kupuna.com
Saturday, February 27, 2016
9:30a-5:30p
UNITE HERE Local 5 (1516 S King St. Honolulu, HI 96826)
We’re hosting a workshop on how to share your story as a tool for enacting social change. Contact us if you’re interested: [email protected].
Wednesday, February 24, 2016
Starts at 3:00p
Hawaii State Capitol (415 S Beretania St, Ste 500, Honolulu, Hawaii 96813)
We’re rallying with the Hawaii Coalition for Immigrant Rights and others who believe that our youth deserve an education without crushing debt. Join us! #tuitiontoodamnHI
The State House of Representatives’ Finance Committee will be hearing a bill, HB1850 (its Senate companion bill is SB2693). It will allow companies like Airbnb, which advertises vacation rentals, to collect taxes for the state on behalf of its “hosts.” The hearing is on Tuesday, February 23 at 2:00p in House Conference Room 308.
We OPPOSE HB1850 because:
Illegal vacation rentals are a growing problem in our state, and this bill does nothing to fix it. They’re a problem not just because they aren’t paying their fair share of taxes, but also because:
Tell corporations like Airbnb to SHARE BETTER!
Please submit testimony to the House Finance Committee to OPPOSE HB1850. If you can testify in person at the hearing, please do! Here are more talking points (PDF) and a fact sheet (PDF) if you need more information.
To submit testimony, sign in at capitol.hawaii.gov, click on Submit Testimony and enter the bill number (HB1850). You can submit full written testimony, fill out the web form with comments, or testify in person. Don’t have an account? Email [email protected] with your support. Please try to submit by Monday, Feb. 22, 2:00 pm if possible, but late testimony still helps!