FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 29, 2023
WORKERS, UNIONS, AND COMMUNITY GROUPS JOINED TO CELEBRATE INTERNATIONAL WORKERS’ DAY AND THE STRUGGLE FOR WORKERS’ RIGHTS
Today the Hawaiʻi Workers Center, in partnership with the Defend and Respect Hawaiʻiʻs Workers Coalition, celebrated International Workers’ Day with a march and rally. The event took place at the Towers at Kuhio Park and drew participants from various industries and backgrounds including labor groups, unions, and community advocacy organizations. International Workers’ Day is celebrated annually on May 1st to commemorate the historic struggle of workers for better working conditions and wages. It is an opportunity for working class communities to celebrate recent wins whilst continuing to address the ongoing exploitation facing workers.
The event began with a one mile march through the streets of Kalihi, where over one hundred workers and their families chanted and demanded their rights as workers. The rally, hosted by Hawaiʻi Workers Center Board members Reverend Samuel Domingo and Nanea Lo, featured a multitude of speakers. Highlights included a legislative report card of recent wins at the Hawaiʻi State legislature, oral histories from both Native Hawaiian and Filipino labor movements, and a speaker from the COFA Workers Association of Honolulu. The event raised awareness about the struggle for workers’ rights within Hawaiʻi and globally, and emphasized the importance and strength of an organized workforce. Speakers from recent labor movements including the National Union of Healthcare Workers Hawaiʻi and UNITEHERE! Local 5 also delivered powerful speeches about their recent struggles.
Ray Catania, a worker himself and member of the Hawaiʻi Workers Center Board says, “We need higher pay and better working conditions. We need a new society without exploitation.”
Gary Labao, Filipino labor activist notes in regards to the suppression of the labor movement in the Philippines, “In the Philippines, union busting runs rampant. People are laid off for exercising their right to organize and advocating for better wages, and better work conditions. Those who go on strike are threatened with punitive actions either by employers or the government. Peaceful rallies and pickets are dispersed and protestors are arrested.”
Maria Rallojay, a speaker representing restaurant workers, the Hawaiʻi Coalition for Immigrant Rights, and the Hawaiʻi Workers Center, had this to say about the tip penalty,
“Tips are unreliable and inconsistent, and we have to rely on them to make ends meet. So at the end of every pay stub usually we get $0 dollars, or $50 dollars. Who is making a living off of that? It’s not uncommon for us to sacrifice family time, tolerate harassment, and work tirelessly to hopefully receive some customer tips. So, getting rid of the subminimum wage is not only to provide our tipped workers with a fair and living wage that they need and that they deserve, but it is also to eliminate their dependency on these tips. Getting rid of the subminimum wage means that if it’s a slow shift at the restaurant, it’s okay because they’re making a living wage.”
The event was supported by various labor unions, including UNITEHERE! Local 5, the National Union of Healthcare Workers Hawaiʻi, OPEIU – Local 50: Hawai’i Nurses Association (HNA), and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW). Support from community organizations and nonprofits include: Academic Labor United (ALU), Hawai‘i State Teachers Staff Organization (HSTSO), Living Wage Hawai‘i, Hawai‘i Coalition for Immigrant Rights (HCIR), Hawai‘i Alliance for Progressive Action (HAPA), Hawai‘i Working Families Coalition, Raise Up Hawai‘i, Young Progressives Demanding Action (YPDA), Pono Hawai‘i Initiative, Anakbayan Hawai’i, Hawai‘i People’s Fund, and Hawai‘i Peace & Justice. Hawaiʻi Appleseed Center for Law and Economic Justice served as the fiscal sponsor for this event supported by a grant from the Hawaiʻi People’s Fund.
###
Media Contact:
Rev. Sam Domingo
Cell: 808-384-8701
John Witeck
Cell: 808-347-3306
Email: hiworkerscenter@gmail.comThe Hawai‘i Workers Center is a registered 501c3 non profit organization that envisions a Hawai‘i in which all workers are empowered to exercise their right to organize for their social, economic and political well-being. It is a resource of information, education, training and organizing for Hawaii’s low-wage and immigrant workers. Visit www.hawaiiworkerscenter.org for more information.