Malama Market meat and seafood cutters are on strike in Pahoa after fighting for fair wages and better benefits for two years.
Sixteen meat cutters, meat wrappers and fish cutters who are part of the United Food and Commercial Workers Union 480 walked off the job on Wednesday, Nov 8, to express their exasperation over contract negotiations that have been ongoing for two years.
Malama Market is operated by Kalama Beach Corp., which is owned by the the Sullivan Family of Companies, which also owns Foodland and Sack N Save.
Frustrations came reached a peak after meat and seafood employees found that they were being paid 40% less than employees in the same position at Foodland and Sack N Save, according to the union.
“For some reason or another, the company brought in outside representation for these negotiations and all these employees (at Malama Market) want is a living wage,” said UFCW 480 President Pat Loo. “(The union) has contracts with other Foodland and Sack N Save stores, and apparently, if you live in Pahoa as a meat cutter, you are making 40% less annually than someone working in Keaau or Hilo.”
According to Loo, meat cutters are making about $14 an hour at Malama Market in Pahoa, while the cutters at Foodland, specifically in Keaau, are making about $25 an hour.
“Can you imagine what $23,000 could do to elevate a family every year?” Loo asked. “It is also much costlier to live outside the city, and many of these people don’t have a lot options for grocery store work. Malama is one of the only food retailers in Pahoa town.”
The union also filed an unfair labor practice claim against the company.
“We don’t want to reinvent the wheel. There is a standard, and we don’t want to change those standards. We just want what is fair,” Loo said. “Malama is also a boutique store with prices that can be 11% to 12% higher than other stores. Why are these employees being treated so differently while doing the same work?”
Union members have been picketing in front of the store from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. every day, and they have no plans of stopping until demands for a fair contract are met.
Some customers have shown their support by not shopping at Malama Market and are voicing their opinions over social media as well.
“The lower range of pay is insulting to the people Pahoa, and there is a strong, young group of people rallying to fight for themselves, but also others in the grocery store that can’t walk out,” Loo said. “After (26) days, the spirit has not changed, and I can’t help but be sentimental. It’s good to see people rise up and say ‘no justice, no peace.’”
On Wednesday morning, about seven union members drummed on buckets and marched in a circle while chanting phrases such as, “two years is too long,” “meat cutters deserve better” and “contracts now.”
Many of these employees began working when Malama Market opened at its current location in 2021. During the past three years, they have worked to feed communities with some of them bringing COVID-19 home to their families during the pandemic.
“They got up, they went to work every day to feed the community, and they took care of their neighbors during the pandemic. Malama got credit for that,” Loo said. “There is no aloha in this differential of pay. We look at this as a slap in the face and blatant disrespect — all for living 10 miles away. The people of Pahoa have worth, the people of Pahoa matter.”
According to Sheryl Toda, the vice president of marketing and corporate communications for Sullivan Family of Companies, Kalama Beach Corporation owns Malama Market Pahoa and has been negotiating in good faith with the UFCW to establish an initial contract for the store’s 16 meat and seafood employees.
“There has been no impasse in negotiations, and negotiations are ongoing,” Toda said in an email to the Tribune-Herald. “Negotiations began in January 2022 and were put on hold in August 2022 at the request of the union. Following this request by the union, negotiations were paused for approximately 10 months while the union negotiated contracts with other employers.
“We intend to continue to negotiate in good faith to try to reach an agreement with the UFCW,” Toda continued. “We understand how very important this store is to the community and are committed to ensuring our customers are not impacted by these negotiations.”
According to Loo, the union is ready to negotiate and continue talks with the company whenever it is ready to raise wages and provide better benefits.
Email Kelsey Walling at kwalling@hawaiitribune-herald.com