Honolulu, HI—Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (HI-02) yesterday joined working men and women of Unite Here Local 5 at the picket line in Waikiki as they fight for a living wage and safe working conditions. Local 5 represents more than 2,700 hotel workers in Hawai‘i who have been on strike since October 8 when contract negotiations reached an impasse. Similar strikes are taking place in cities across the nation.

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Rep. Tulsi Gabbard said: “While Marriott makes billions of dollars in profits every year, many of their workers in Hawai‘i and across the country are living in poverty - forced to work two or three jobs just to make ends meet due to a high cost of living. With a thriving and profitable tourism industry, employers need to recognize and value the hard-working men and women who take care of and serve our guests with aloha and provide them with a great experience. In Hawai‘i, we have the fourth highest rate of residents living in poverty in the country. This is unacceptable. One full-time job should be enough for our working men and women to keep a roof over their heads and provide for their families.”

Background: Rep. Tulsi Gabbard continues to push for a living wage and safe working conditions for workers in Hawai‘i and across the country. She is an original cosponsor of the Raise the Wage Act (H.R. 15), which would raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2024 and index the minimum wage to the median wage growth thereafter. The Raise the Wage Act would give more than 41 million low-wage workers a raise, increasing the wages of almost 30 percent of the U.S. workforce. She has also cosponsored legislation like the Paycheck Fairness Act (H.R.1869) to address wage discrimination across the United States.

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