This issue of the VOICE includes information for you about what it means to have an ILWU membership.
As a union member, you are entitled to many rights and benefits.
Unions have historically given workers the opportunity to organize and bring fair working conditions and wages to the job.
What is “I.L.W.U.”?
ILWU stands for International Longshore Warehouse Union. ILWU was created in 1934 when longshore and warehouse workers on the West Coast of the United States merged to form a single union.
Most workers organize into unions because of bad working conditions and poor treatment by management. When workers are organized into unions, they gain the power to change their working environment and demand respect and fair treatment from management.
With a union, workers have job security. They can no longer be fired, transferred, or demoted at the whim of their bosses.
In the United States, workers are hired “at-will.” This is a term that means workers are not slaves and can quit their job at their choice, or at their own will.
Your union contract is a written agreement with your employer. It defines your wages, benefits, conditions of employment, and rights on the job. It is enforceable through a grievance procedure and ultimately in a court of law.
Most union contracts are renegotiated every three years, although some contracts run for only one year and others run for as long as six years. How long the contract runs is up to you and your negotiating committee. The ILWU is a democratic union and members are involved in every step of the negotiation process.
KAHULUI — Every year, the Maui Division devotes its DEB (Division Executive Board -- see more about the DEB on page 4!) meeting to recognize those members who make the union strong. The union depends on its members, who promote unionism within the workplace, and these members deserve the recognition and thanks of the union.
Meeting agenda
On Wednesday March 21, 2018, Division Director Stephen Castro welcomed the night’s awardees amidst the other members and pensioners.
The Servco negotiating committee. Front L-R: Belinda Ayson, Neill Amasaki, Paris Fernandez, Grant Kawamoto, Jeffrey Higa. Back L-R: Darren Iguchi, Dural Duenas, Daven Tong, Randall Tenn.
HONOLULU — On April 30, 2018, members of Unit 4412 Servco Pacific gathered at the Local union for their contract ratification.
America’s animal care industry was once dominated by independent veterinarians and support staff. Now the vet industry is being transformed by powerful corporations and Wall Street investors — posing new challenges for both workers and pet owners.
Making history
On April 4th and 5th, a group of 95 workers at VCA-San Francisco Veterinary Specialists (SFVS) made history by becoming the first large group of private-sector veterinary workers in America to form their own union and affiliate with the ILWU.
STATEWIDE — The past months had people buzzing about the latest Avengers movie. But here at Local 142, we have been building our own army. The Local has been holding New Steward Training classes regularly since February.
As of this writing, 87 members throughout the Big Island, Kauai, Maui, and Oahu have gone through this intensive day-long training.
Police and news helicopters circled overhead as hundreds of union and community supporters converged on the dusty entrance to the Port of Oakland’s Howard Terminal. The gathering occurred on May Day – the traditional workers’ holiday – and attracted supporters from near and far who marched and rallied with the ILWU and a host of maritime unions and business groups who are opposing plans for a baseball stadium and luxury condos on the Terminal’s 55 acres.
