Unite Here! Local 5

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Unite Here! Local 5 Now named UNITE HERE, Local 5 continues to be a key player in the International Union’s strategies and campaigns.

From the earliest days of Hawaii’s tourist industry, our union has led Hawaii hotel workers to fight for good, secure jobs with a future, in an industry where most workers around the world work below the poverty line. Chartered in 1938 by the Hotel and Restaurant Employees and Bartenders International Union, Local 5 has remained one of the International Union’s most important and successful local unions ever since. Just as in the hotel industry, Local 5 members in Kaiser Permanente set the highest standard for wages and benefits in Hawaii’s health care industry, benefiting not only our members, but also all local health care workers. Since the 1950s, Local 5′s health care membership has grown to about 2,000 members — a large and important part of Local 5′s membership. Throughout our history, Local 5 has maintained a reputation for aggressive advocacy and powerful servicing on behalf of our members, and hard-hitting negotiations campaigns that deliver what our members need. That reputation for building power on behalf of our members enabled Local 5 to grow from a few hundred members up to the current 10,000 members.

IN THE NEWS 🗞️ At last week’s Honolulu City Council meeting, Local 5 members turned out to demand the developers of 1588...
10/15/2026

IN THE NEWS 🗞️ At last week’s Honolulu City Council meeting, Local 5 members turned out to demand the developers of 1588 Ala Moana do more for the community and provide truly affordable housing.

“Too many local families are struggling to make ends meet or having to move away, it’s time for real solutions to the housing crisis here in Hawaii,” said Marieta Salmasan, a 14-year housekeeper.

While the City Council approved the measure, the fight continues to make affordable housing a reality for Hawaii workers and our families.

➡️Read the full stories at unitehere5.org/category/news

10/08/2026

Special video message from Governor Green our candidate for Governor ✅ Governor Green has stood by Local 5 members for years on and off the picket line and we are proud to endorse Governor Green in this year’s election.

🗳Registered voters will receive their mail-in ballots by October 16. We need politicians in office that fight for Hawaii workers and our families. Make sure to keep an eye out for your ballot and send it in as soon as you can!

General Election Endorsements ✅ As of September 28, 2026, Our Political Action Team and Executive Board have approved th...
10/08/2026

General Election Endorsements ✅ As of September 28, 2026, Our Political Action Team and Executive Board have approved the following General Election endorsement recommendations. These elected leaders have proven their commitment to our Union and our campaigns.
🗳️All registered voters will begin receiving ballots in the mail starting Friday, October 16, 2026. Election Day is Tuesday, November 3

Join us on next Friday, October 16 for the Real Talk on Labor & Immigration panel presented by the Center for Labor Educ...
10/07/2026

Join us on next Friday, October 16 for the Real Talk on Labor & Immigration panel presented by the Center for Labor Education & Research. Hear from Kieran Knutson, President of CWA Local 7250 and Kim Cordova, President of UFCW Local 7 discuss how immigrant workers are organizing and fighting back.

📍Friday, October 16 from 5:30-8:30pm at IBEW Local 1186 (1935 Hau St) Room 306

🔗RSVP at go.hawaii.edu/RDx

Last week, we sat down with the company for the first round of contract negotiations for Host OGG and LIH workers 🙌Worke...
10/06/2026

Last week, we sat down with the company for the first round of contract negotiations for Host OGG and LIH workers 🙌

Workers packed the room to send a clear message to the company that we need significant wage increases to keep up with the raising cost, improving our benefits, and feel respected. While we made some progress, we still have a long way to go so let’s step up and stay united!

Congratulations to Eric Gill, Local 5’s Sr. Vice President. Earlier this week, Eric received the Lifetime Achievement A...
09/26/2026

Congratulations to Eric Gill, Local 5’s Sr. Vice President. Earlier this week, Eric received the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2026 Hawaii Workforce Heroes award ceremony 👏

Eric has dedicated more than 50 years of service to Local 5—beginning as a dishwasher at the Sheraton Waikiki in and serving 23 years as the head of our Union. Through Eric’s leadership, Local 5 secured its place as one of the best and strongest Unions in Hawaii. We are so proud of Eric and grateful for his long-standing commitment to improving the lives of Hawaii’s working families!

Our Union recently launched the “Talk to Me” program at Local 5 workplaces across Hawaii 🗣️ We know the first step in un...
09/17/2026

Our Union recently launched the “Talk to Me” program at Local 5 workplaces across Hawaii 🗣️

We know the first step in uniting our people is getting people to talk to one another–whether it is to get to know each other, share information, or talk about work issues. Through these conversations, we are building the unity we need to improve our workplaces, understand our rights, and enforce our contractual agreements.

Questions about the contract? Talk to me. Questions about an issue at work? Talk to me. Questions about how to fix these issues? Talk to me and we will work together to solve them.

Look out for the next round of Talk to Me sessions coming up in October!

On Wednesday, Local 5 members joined the ILWU Local 142 for an event commemorating the 80th anniversary of the 1946 Grea...
09/11/2026

On Wednesday, Local 5 members joined the ILWU Local 142 for an event commemorating the 80th anniversary of the 1946 Great Hawaii Sugar Strike 💪

During the event, there was a panel discussion about the lessons that we can take away from the historic strike and use to build a stronger working-class movement. Among the panelists were Cade Watanabe, Local 5 Financial Secretary-Treasurer; Chris West, ILWU Local 142 President; Fred Galdones, ILWU Local 142 President Emeritus; and Former Governor John Waihee III.

Going forward it is up to us to honor the legacy of thousands of workers who used their collective power to change the course of history.

09/09/2026

RESCHEDULED TO SEPTEMBER 9th! Join us for this special evening to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the historic 1946 Great Hawai’i Sugar Strike. Registration is appreciated - follow the link in bio.

If you had already registered for the 1st, we apologize for the inconvenience and will be reaching out to you.

Hope to see you there!

On July 23 and 24, over 200 Local 5 delegates and shop stewards gathered for our Union’s 28th annual Delegate Convention...
07/29/2026

On July 23 and 24, over 200 Local 5 delegates and shop stewards gathered for our Union’s 28th annual Delegate Convention. The year’s theme was “UNITE our people, BUILD our power, CHANGE our future” setting the tone for the year ahead ✨

On Day 1, Local 5 members participated in trainings, heard from guest speakers, and took to the streets for a march down Ala Moana Boulevard.

On Day 2, we recommitted to growing our Union, learned more about the value of our relationship with our International Union, and approved our Union’s revised 2026 & proposed 2027 budgets, approved Board actions, and amended our Bylaws to add a new “food service” division seat to our Executive Board. Our Union has grown to represent nearly 1,200 food service workers at airports, in-flight catering kitchens and university campuses across our State.

Address

1516 S King Street
Honolulu, HI
96826

Telephone

+18089412141

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