Nine fortunate and deserving high school seniors from ILWU families are the 2011 winners of the Harriet Bouslog Labor Scholarship. The scholarships will pay part of the tuition for a full-time student for up to eight semesters at any of the University of Hawaii campuses. The scholarships range from $2,000 per semester while attending the UH Manoa, $1,000 per semester while attending UH Hilo or UH West Oahu, and $750 per semester for any of the UH community colleges.
The late Harriet Bouslog created the scholarship fund in 1989 to support the education of ILWU children and to promote awareness and understanding of the ILWU’s history. Bouslog served as an attorney with the labor law firm which represented the ILWU in some of the unions most difficult times from 1946 to 1978.
1. Nainoa Akiona (Waiakea High School) is attending Hawaii Community College. He is the grandson of Artemio Sensano of Hilo Coast Processing Company.
3. Eunice Taylor (Honokaa High School) is attending Hawaii Community College. Her father, Steven Taylor, worked at the former Hamakua Sugar Company and currently works at the Mauna Kea Beach Hotel.
4. Tatiana Espanto (Kamehameha Schools at Kapalama) is attending UH-Manoa. Her father Rolando Espanto, Sr. works for Hawaii Logistics.
5. Colin Naito (Aiea High School) is attending UH-Manoa. Her grandmother, Jane Williams, is an ILWU member at Young Brothers.
6. Matthew Shinsato (Roosevelt High School) is attending UHManoa. His father, Michael Shinsato, works for Horizon Lines.
7. Joy Espeleta (King Kekaulike High School) will be attending Maui Community College. Her father, Teddy Espeleta, worked for Maui Pineapple and is currently a Maui Division Business Agent.
8. Royalene “Mele” Fernandez (Lanai High & Elementary). Her mother Linda Fernandez works at the Four Seasons Resort and father Noland Fernandez works for Young Brothers. Mele is attending Kapiolani Commu2011 Statewide General Trades Caucus is first for ILWU—continued from page 5 nity College.
9. Jenna Shibano (Baldwin High School) is attending UH-Manoa. Her grandfather, the late Jiro Yoshida, retired from Pioneer Mill Sugar on Maui.
2011 Statewide General Trades Caucus is first for ILWU—continued from page 5
ing, like long term care and assisted living at Pali Momi. We can talk to imaging techs when they go to conferences or training. We can talk to people in different departments. We can talk to people who are training to become techs. HPH is good at matching pay but falls behind in other non-pay items like working conditions, schedules, and seniority. We could make cheat sheets about the union which would make it easier for us when we talk to unorganized workers. We can look into organizing our own health care conference or use social media like Facebook. We can promote the union within the community. I worry about how people in the community see us as a union.”
Joni Eubank from Hawaii Pacific Health commented, “We have a lot of clinics which are spread out all over the state. We need to get information out to our younger members. We need to use other means or reaching these people besides the union’s newspaper, The Voice of the ILWU. The ILWU website has good information but needs to be updated. We need to continue to educate our own and younger members.”
Retail & Manufacturing Industry Report
According to Kapono Keliikoa from Foodland, “Some people complain about the union taking dues from them. A year’s worth of union dues comes out to maybe $700. Then we added up a year’s worth of union benefits under the contract, which comes out to $7,000. This exercise in addition opened my eyes. The union gives us better benefits. I came to this caucus and see we are all family—we all help each other out.”
Barrett Hayashi from Loves Bakery added, “The key is education. Organizing comes from within ourselves.”
Auto, Trucking, & Maintenance Report
Jessie Vaughn from Servco Kauai observed, “Mobilizing is different from organizing. Organizing is bring ing in new members from outside. Mobilizing is with the members in your unit. Mobilizing is the key to make your bargaining unit more effective, to get a good contract, and to enforce your contract. Do things with your members outside of work. Become a family—develop more teamwork. We fight against going to a flat-rate payment system at work, because it would create divisiveness among our members.”
According to Eddie Sekigawa from Island Movers Oahu, “If you mobilize your unit you can get into organizing more easily. Build up your shop stewards. Have them ask members what’s happening because they won’t just tell you—you got to ask them. We have six divisions—two on the docks, in Mapunapuna, etc. We need to know what is happening with all our members.”
International President Robert McEllrath told the caucus, “It is so crucial for you to unite yourselves and to figure out how to take care of your health and welfare, pension, and retirees. You get that and the rest falls into place. You can find the answers.”
General & Miscellaneous Group Report
A general and miscellaneous group was made up of units related to construction, golf courses, and memorial parks.
Garrett Hera from Castle & Cooke Resorts Lanai said, “I gained a lot of information here at caucus and I need to go back and get that information out to unit members. We have about 150 members, who are not mobilized but ‘scatterized.’ Only a few people show up to a meeting to ratify our contract. We need to find leaders in all departments and ask people what’s happening. When there’s unity you can accomplish many things. A unit is like your body, which needs a brain, arms, and legs to do anything.”
Dane Kaneshina from Maui Lani Golf Course observed of his own unit, “Only 10 out of 50 people who work on the golf course are in the union. We need to build up the health and welfare fund to get leverage and improve prescription drugs and other benefits.”
Francis Kamakaokalani from Ameron Maui said, “Pension benefits are important to start whey you’re young. Now we have three funds and one will pay $5 per compensable hour.”
Added Trent Minor from Troon Golf, Kapalua Maui, “We need to communicate one-on-one with the members in our units.”
ILWU International President Robert McEllrath to caucus
ILWU International President Robert McEllrath told the caucus “It is an honor and privilege to serve as your president. I am the sixth person to serve as ILWU president. Having this caucus is so important. You’ve got to worry about two things— health and welfare, and pension. What’s most important is medical benefits for your retirees—one hospital visit can wipe out your pension income for a whole year.
“Politicians are talking about raising the retirement age for Social Security to 69 years old. We took retirees to Washington DC to lobby, not for themselves, but for you. We can’t do it ourselves. Only you can do it with the rank-and-file. We need you in this room. It is so crucial for you to unite yourselves and to figure out how to take care of your health and welfare, pension, and retirees. You get that and the rest falls into place. You can find the answers.”
To sum up the caucus, President Fiesta, Jr. said he will look hard at holding another caucus. “Take home what you learned and take action,” said Fiest. “You guys are very important to us. Be active, communicate and share your information with the members in your unit.”