Latest news with #Breeland
Yahoo
26-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Merrie Monarch boost Hilo businesses like Ola Brew
HONOLULU (KHON2) – It is Merrie Monarch, and to top it all off, Aloha Friday. The celebration brings community members together from all parts of the world to enjoy and participate in hula, while also supporting local vendors. Small businesses such as Big Island-based brewing company Ola Brewing saw a nice boost in support as a result of the Merrie Monarch festivities. The People's Pope is gone. What will the flock become? 'For us, it's really, really special because I think it's bringing people together. It's bringing all these different islands that are coming over here to experience Merrie Monarch and the incredible cultural festival that we have here,' said Ola Brewing President and Co-Founder Naehalani Breeland. For Breeland, the festivities serve as an opportunity for her to provide product to people on other islands who usually don't get to try her drinks and connect with other local organizations. 'People on other islands, they can't get everything that we have in the taproom, so to be able to share that with everybody is amazing. And then, in that collaborative spirit, being able to have pop-ups of a lot of these different artists and this whole mākeke in the back with Hulalei Designs, with Aunty Puamana Crabbe, with one of our local non-profits here, ʻĀina University, that works with keiki to get them grounded and rooted in ʻāina,' Breeland the increase in visitors, Ola Brewing is also able to promote a new drink they launched. 'Last night, we launched a beer, the Lehulehu lager, with Sig Zane for their 40th anniversary,' Breeland said. 'That was really incredible and hopefully we'll see more of those collaborations in the future, but it is really, really cool just to see the community come together.' Download the free KHON2 app for iOS or Android to stay informed on the latest news Ola Brewing sees about two times more sales during the week of Merrie Monarch than usual, Breeland said. The extra profit benefits the business, as it is community funded and employee owned. 'So, we have over 42,000 shareholders that have invested into our business and what that means for us is a more circulated economy. What also circulates our economy here and what we are a part of is increasing the ag economy here,' Breeland said. 'So, sourcing as many local ingredients as we possibly can to add to our beverages, all the fruits that you see in our hard juices, all the fruits and botanicals that you see in our hard seltzers, those are all from here that we are really proud to share with our farmers. Since we opened, we have sourced over $4,000,000 from local farmers here, probably about 120 farmers so we are really proud of that, and we want to do more of that.' Click here for more information on Ola Brew. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
CBC
19-02-2025
- Business
- CBC
Melville, Sask., city workers vote to go on strike amid high turnover and wage disputes
Members of CUPE Local 456, which represents city workers in Melville, Sask., have voted in favour of job action due to wage disputes and high employee turnover. Dylan Breeland, the national servicing representative for CUPE, says bargaining has been ongoing since early 2024, but the employer's offer has not addressed the "extreme turnover" seen in the city. "The union has asked the employer three times to increase their monetary offer, and so far, they have not," Breeland said. "The members are willing to bend to find some agreement here, but so far we have not seen the same from the employer." Melville is about 140 kilometres northeast of Regina. The most recent collective agreement between the city and the union expired on Dec. 31, 2023. Bargaining has been ongoing since March 2024, CUPE said in a news release. CBC News has reached out to the City of Melville for comment, but it has not responded to the request. The union held a meeting on Feb. 13 where more than 90 per cent of members turned out, and 93 per cent voted in favour of supporting job action if necessary. However, Breeland said no job action is imminent due to requirements under the Saskatchewan Employment Act. "We are currently in mediated conciliated bargaining with the employer," said Breeland. "Once that process concludes, if we still don't have agreement, we have to go through a mandatory cooling off with the ministry. We also have to have an essential services agreement in place … before job action can take place." If job action were to occur, Breeland said potential impacts include a full withdrawal of services from members in parks and recreation, and administration. Melville has been facing significant staff turnover. Since 2021, 32 full-time staff members have resigned, with 18 leaving in 2023 alone. "Currently, the city only employs 31 permanent full-time staff in the union," said Breeland. "This amount of turnover is just unsustainable for the amount of services that the city provides." Breeland said the turnover is because of non-competitive wages. "We're seeing members leave employment with the City of Melville to take positions for anywhere from two to five dollars per hour more for equal or lesser qualifications," he said. The union is asking for a monetary offer that provides competitive wages and accounts for inflation. "The previous agreement saw wage increases of 5 per cent and over that same term the cost of living increased by almost 14 per cent," said Breeland. "We need wages that are keeping track with the increased cost of living. That's what we need to see." Breeland warned of long-term service disruptions if wages remain low and turnover continues. "We're talking snow clearing services, water, wastewater infrastructure maintenance and repair, road and sidewalk repair, green space maintenance, city general administration," he said. "If we don't have experienced staff to provide those services, the ratepayers will see long-term increased disruptions." Despite the challenges, Breeland remains optimistic about reaching an agreement. "We are always hopeful that we're going to get a negotiated agreement at the table," he said. "It was the employer who filed the notice of impasse … and did not bring any 'horses to trade,' so to speak, to the mediated bargaining session. It's the employer that has been driving this process to where we're at. We are hoping that the employer will provide a deal." The union is scheduled to return to the bargaining table on Feb. 26.
