2,700 Marriott Hotel workers went on strike this morning in Waikiki and Maui. Unite Here Local 5 union representatives asked for a three dollar raise and hotel negotiators countered with 30 cents.

Hotel Strike

Jowena Ellazar from Mililani was on the picket line wearing a red T-shirt with “One Job Should Be Enough” printed on the back.

“My boyfriend and I can’t even afford to just get our own place because it’s way too expensive. We have to rent a room. What kind of life is that? So, I have a 4 year-old right now and a one year-old. She just turned one. And, I barely see them because just the commute from Mililani to Waikiki and back, we’re in traffic for an hour and-a-half, we work 8 hours a day. So, it’s impossible to even spend time with families. Some of my co-workers do two jobs and I can’t imagine how hard it is for them when they can’t even see their kids.”

The strike involves Local 5 union workers at the Sheraton Waikiki, Royal Hawaiian, Moana Surfrider, Princess Ka’iulani and Sheraton Maui.