Honolulu, HI – Today, UNITE HERE Local 5 endorsed Dr. Josh Green for governor of
Hawaii.
Representing 11,000 members in Hawaii, including hotel, health care, and food service
workers, Local 5 has earned a reputation for fighting for the highest standards in wages and
benefits for its members, benefitting workers across the state.
“I’m proud to stand with UNITE HERE Local 5, and I’m grateful for their support,” Green
said. “Local 5 represents the people who help keep Hawaii’s visitor and healthcare
industries running, and I share their commitment to working families.”
As Lt. Governor and the state’s COVID Liaison during the pandemic, Green helped make
sure Hawaii’s front line and essential workers, including many Local 5 members, were
among the first to be vaccinated.
“Dr. Green’s proactive leadership and concern for Hawaii’s people showed clearly during the
pandemic,” Local 5 Financial Secretary-Treasurer Eric Gill said. “We are in uncertain times,
and we need strong leadership. Josh Green will stand up for Hawaii’s working people and
against corporate greed. We look forward to working with Governor Green to unite our
community in pursuit of fairness, equality, and economic justice for all Hawaii’s people.”
“We recognize that action speaks louder than words,” Local 5 organizer Joli Tokusato said,
“and Josh Green proved during the pandemic that he’s the person we can count on.”
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, representing Hawaii’s hotel workers in the fight for good, secure
jobs with a future, in an industry where most workers around the world work below the
poverty line.
