Over 40 representatives from community groups, educators, lawmakers, churches and unions joined together on December 5, 2007 to send a message loud and clear to Pacific Beach Hotel owner HTH Corporation—treat the workers fairly or you won’t get our money.

The group, called Justice at the Beach, held a press conference to announce their support for Pacific Beach Hotel workers and to make a public call for a boycott of HTH Corporation, including Pacific Beach Hotel and Pagoda Hotel and Restaurant.

“Pacific Beach has a history of violating workers’’ rights going back to 2002,” said AFL-CIO President Randy Perreira.

Pacific Beach workers first sought a union voice in 2002, but despite winning a governmentcertified election, they still have no contract. Recently, the hotel was charged with multiple violations of federal labor law after it summarily fired all employees, forced them to reapply for their own jobs, and left many unemployed or in downgraded positions. Last week, more charges were filed after the hotel announced that it will no longer negotiate with its employees’ union representative ILWU Local 142. ◆

Justice at the Beach, a coalition for justice at Pacific Beach Hotel, called for a boycott of owner HTH Corporation, including Pacific Beach and the Pagoda Hotel and Restaurant, until HTH Corp. “fully respects labor law and negotiates in good faith its workers.” (L-r) ILWU Oahu Division Director Dave Mori, HSTA Ex. Dir. Joan Lee Husted, Representative Roy Takumi, AFL-CIO President and HGEA Deputy Ex. Dir. Randy Perreira, University of Hawaii Student Equity, Excellence and Diversity Office Director Amy Agbayani, Filipino Coalition for Solidarity President Charlene Cuaresma, Representative Della Au Belatti (Tantalus, Makiki, McCully), Representative Joseph Souki (Wailuku, Waihee, Waikapu).

Don’t stay at the Pagoda Hotel

Boycott HTH-owned hotels

HTH Corporation owns the Pagoda Hotel in Honolulu and the Pacific Beach Hotel in Waikiki. For the past 5 years, this company has broken many labor laws and this December 1, 2007, has caused 450 ILWU members to lose their jobs at the Pacific Beach Hotel.

The company forced the workers to apply for the same jobs they worked at for years and imposed a 90-day probationary period. Dozens of the most active union workers were not rehired or had their wages and work schedule cut.

All of these actions by HTH Corporation are serious violation of labor law, and the ILWU has filed numerous complaints against HTH with the National Labor Relations Board. This company has illegally discriminated against their workers for joining and supporting a union. This company has treated their employees badly. HTH has shown no respect and no aloha for their own workers.

Many local and neighbor island people don’t know that HTH breaks the law and mistreats their workers. They stay at the Pagoda Hotel or Pacific Beach Hotel because they think the room rates are cheap. They are mistaken.

For a few dollars more, you can choose to stay at the Honolulu Airport Hotel, where workers have an ILWU contract, are treated fairly, and are paid decent wages and benefits. Offseason rates at the Airport Hotel run around $130. There are also other unionized hotels in Waikiki where you can get a much better room for about the same price as the Pagoda Hotel. Unionized hotels such as the Queen Kapiolani, the Waikiki Resort Hotel, and the Ala Moana Hotel have rooms between $85 and $125 per night.

If you choose to stay at a nonunion hotel, there are at least four hotels with room prices much lower than Pagoda Hotel. These 2.5 star hotels have rooms for as low as $52-$69 a night.

Shop around, there are better deals out there, and tell your HTH Corporation owns the Pagoda Hotel in Honolulu and the Pacific Beach Hotel in Waikiki. For the past 5 years, this company has broken many labor laws and this December 1, 2007, has caused 450 ILWU members to lose their jobs at the Pacific Beach Hotel. friends and family to stay away from the Pagoda Hotel and Floating Restaurant and Pacific Beach Hotel. Don’t give any business to HTH Corporation until that company agrees to a fair union contract for their workers. ◆