Letter: Hotel strikers walk to secure their future

I read Phil Urquhart’s letter, “Strikers should think about their future” (Star-Advertiser, Nov. 17). Unfortunately he misses the mark by a wide margin.

The main reason Unite Here Local 5 is on strike is because workers are thinking about their future, as well as the future of those who will follow after them.

Perhaps Urquhart hasn’t been paying attention, but corporate America is knocking it out of the park, while wages and benefits for the middle and working class have hardly kept pace with inflation.

I’d like to remind Urquhart that he can thank unions for the 40-hour work week, weekends off, paid vacation, sick leave, family leave, minimum wage, overtime, child labor laws, and the right to strike, just to name a few things we take for granted.

If Urquhart has a sincere concern about the Local 5 workers making their mortgage payments or other bills, he can make a donation to Local 5, as well as join their picket lines as my wife and I have done to support their efforts to achieve a livable wage.

Kevin Batey

Kailua

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