United Public Workers

What United Public Workers does

United Public Workers (UPW), operating legally as United Public Workers, Local 646, AFL-CIO, is a Hawaii-based labor union founded in 1944 by Hilo road workers seeking better wages, hours, and working conditions. Headquartered in Honolulu with division offices in Hilo, Lihue, Wailuku, and Molokai, the union represents more than 13,000 active and retired members across the state's public and private sectors. Its jurisdictional charter from AFSCME covers state and county blue-collar, nonsupervisory, and working foremen positions, as well as nonprofessional hospital and institutional workers, while its private sector membership is concentrated in healthcare and nonprofit agencies. UPW is the only union in Hawaii representing both private and public sector employees under a single organization.

UPW's service portfolio is organized around five core functional departments: Field Services (collective bargaining representation and grievance handling for Bargaining Units 1 and 10 plus private sector), Legal Services (access to private attorneys for workplace issues and workers' compensation), Political Action and Legislative Action (PACs, lobbying, and tracking labor-related bills), Fiscal and Membership Services (dues administration and benefits coordination), and member communications via the quarterly Malama Pono newsletter. Member benefits include the self-administered UPW Mutual Aid Fund ($1.00 per participant per month, paying $30/day for qualified hospitalization), the Jimmy Toledo Scholarship launched in 2024, and an AFSCME Advantage discount program with insurance, footwear, eyewear, and entertainment partners. The organization also maintains a Retiree Chapter 646 with sub-chapters across five islands and produces the United 808 Podcast.

The union's revenue model is subscription-recurring membership dues from over 13,000 active and retired members; dues rates are not publicly disclosed. Its go-to-market is community-led and field-driven, with Division Directors and Union Representatives providing direct workplace representation statewide, supplemented by digital channels (website, social media, podcast) and community events such as the Blue Collar Christmas program and May Day marches. UPW operates as a private membership-based nonprofit under AFL-CIO with elected leadership; Kalani Werner has served as State Director since 2022 following the first-ever direct membership election. Recent operational milestones include Temporary Hazard Pay settlements during COVID-19, a 15% hazard pay differential arbitration win for Honolulu County employees, and a 52-day strike settlement at Maui Health System in 2023.

Name

United Public Workers

Legal name

United Public Workers, Local 646, AFL-CIO

Website

https://upwhawaii.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1944

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

United Public Workers is a Hawaii-based labor union founded in 1944 and affiliated with AFSCME Local 646, AFL-CIO. It represents over 13,000 public and private sector blue-collar, institutional, and healthcare workers statewide through collective bargaining, legal services, legislative advocacy, and member benefits.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Honolulu

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Union Membership Dues: UPW generates revenue through membership dues paid by over 13,000 active and retired members in public and private sectors across Hawaii.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

United Public Workers (UPW), Local 646, AFL-CIO, is a Hawaii labor union that provides collective bargaining representation, grievance and arbitration handling, legal services through private attorneys, political and legislative advocacy, and member benefits to more than 13,000 active and retired public and private sector blue-collar, institutional, and healthcare workers across the Hawaiian islands. Members pay dues to access representation under Hawaii Revised Statutes Chapter 89 (Act 171) public sector collective bargaining jurisdiction and AFSCME-granted charter coverage.

Product overview

United Public Workers is Hawaii's labor union representing over 13,000 public and private sector workers. Founded in 1944, the organization provides union representation services including Field Services (advocacy and support for Bargaining Units 1, 10, and private sector), Legal Services (access to private attorneys), Political Action (PACs and legislative advocacy), Fiscal and Membership Services, and the Malama Pono quarterly newsletter. The union offers member benefits through partnerships including the UPW Mutual Aid Fund, AFSCME Advantage, and various discount programs. Additional services include the Temporary Hazard Pay Tracker for COVID-19-related compensation, the United 808 Podcast, Blue Collar Christmas community program, Retiree Chapter 646, and the Jimmy Toledo Scholarship. The organization operates through divisions across Hawaii's islands: Hawaii, Maui, Oahu, Kauai, and Molokai/Lanai.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Field Services (Collective Bargaining Representation)

Quantifiable outcome

• Successfully won Temporary Hazard Pay settlements for members who worked during COVID-19 pandemic
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• ILWU (International Longshoremen's and Warehousemen's Union)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1945ILWU organized on Hawaii plantations and their success inspired the founding of UPW. Henry Epstein was initially recruited by UPWA to organize in Hawaii under ILWU recommendation. ILWU influenced UPW's early organizing strategy and marches/demonstrations.
• AFSCME (American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1944UPW is affiliated with AFSCME (Local 646, AFL-CIO). AFSCME granted UPW a Charter giving jurisdiction over state and county blue-collar, nonsupervisory and working foremen positions, and nonprofessional hospital and institutional workers. This affiliation provides national support and strengthens the union's position.
• DTRIC InsuranceminorGTM or Marketing PartnerDTRIC offers Automobile Insurance and Homeowners Insurance at discounted rates for UPW Members only. Offers 35% discount on Home Insurance when insuring car with them.
• AllstateminorGTM or Marketing PartnerAllstate offers Cancer/ICU Insurance to UPW Members including individual, family, and dependent children coverage.
• Red Wing ShoesminorGTM or Marketing PartnerRed Wing Shoes provides 10% off Red Wing branded safety and soft-toe footwear and 10% off WORX & Irish Settler footwear for UPW/AFSCME members.
• GoldenEye HawaiiminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSports eyewear store offering UPW Members 25% off Yeti and 30% off G-Shock brands.
• Sun Life FinancialminorGTM or Marketing PartnerOffers Group Term Life Insurance to UPW Members, Spouses, and Dependent children from 14 days to 19 years (up to 25 for full-time students).
• Wet'n'Wild HawaiiminorGTM or Marketing PartnerMembers receive 40% off General Admission at Wet'n'Wild Hawaii with affiliate link and passcode UPWHAWAII.
• AFSCME AdvantageminorGTM or Marketing PartnerAFSCME Advantage program offers scholarships, benefits on Health, Home & Auto Insurance, Legal, Money & Credit, Shopping Discounts and Travel Fun benefits to UPW members.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Others

• National Education Association (NEA): NEA is a national education employee association that, while primarily focused on teachers, shares the broader U.S. public-sector labor advocacy space with UPW and AFSCME. It is thematically comparable as a membership-based, dues-funded public-sector organization but does not directly compete in UPW's jurisdictions.

Broad incumbents

• Teamsters: The Teamsters is a large national union representing a wide range of blue-collar and public-sector workers, partially overlapping with UPW's blue-collar jurisdiction in Hawaii. It is a broad incumbent that competes for the same worker pool in logistics, services, and government roles.
• AFL-CIO: AFL-CIO is the national labor federation of which UPW is a member local. It is a broad incumbent that sets national labor policy, coordinates political action across member unions, and provides infrastructure (legal, organizing, research) that complements UPW's own field, legal, and political services.
• SEIU (Service Employees International Union): SEIU is a large national union with significant healthcare and private-sector membership that overlaps with UPW's healthcare and nonprofit segments. It is a broad incumbent offering competing organizing capacity and bargaining services in adjacent worker populations, particularly relevant to private-sector healthcare organizing in Hawaii.
• AFSCME (American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees): AFSCME is the national parent union of UPW (Local 646). It is a broad incumbent offering overlapping collective-bargaining, legal, and political services across all U.S. states, providing UPW with its charter, national resources, and AFSCME Advantage benefits, and operating as the federation that defines UPW's jurisdiction.

Regional players

• Hawaii Building and Construction Trades Council: The Hawaii Building and Construction Trades Council is a regional umbrella of construction trade unions operating in the same Hawaii market as UPW. It represents an adjacent segment of blue-collar workers, overlapping with UPW's blue-collar public-sector membership on apprenticeship, wages, and legislative issues.

Direct peers

• ILWU (International Longshoremen's and Warehousemen's Union): ILWU is a major Hawaii-based labor union that historically inspired and supported UPW's founding in 1944. Both represent Hawaii workers, share overlapping private-sector jurisdictions, and have organized together on legislative and bargaining matters, making ILWU a foundational peer in the same island labor ecosystem.
• Hawaii State Teachers Association (HSTA): HSTA represents Hawaii public school teachers and is another HRS 89 bargaining unit that has worked with UPW in joint union actions (e.g., 2009 furloughs). It is a direct peer operating under the same statutory collective-bargaining framework in the same state, serving a different but adjacent public-sector employee population.
• University of Hawaii Professional Assembly (UHPA): UHPA represents University of Hawaii faculty and is part of the same Hawaii public-sector collective-bargaining system (HRS 89) in which UPW operates. It is a direct peer that has co-organized with UPW on furlough and labor unity issues, serving a different but comparable Hawaii public-sector membership.
• Hawaii Government Employees Association (HGEA): HGEA is the principal public-sector union for Hawaii state and county white-collar and professional employees, bargaining under HRS 89 alongside UPW. It is the closest jurisdictional peer and a frequent joint action partner (e.g., 2009 furloughs, COVID actions), serving the same Hawaii government employee base in adjacent bargaining units.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/UPW_Hawaii
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@unitedpublicworkers
• Facebookfacebook.com/UnitedPublicWorkers
• Instagraminstagram.com/unitedpublicworkers
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/united-public-workers-hawaii

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about United Public Workers