are being met, we will see good outcomes - in our contracts, at our jobs, and even in the political realm. We will see weak outcomes When we do not fulfill our duties and responsibilities as union members.

The most impactful way to raise and align expectations is through collective action. “Ma ka hana ka ‘ike” - knowledge is gained by doing. And this is where our commitment to be more involved comes in. In the coming months, as stewards

trainings are scheduled, as contract negotiations kick off, as laws to protect working locals land on legislators’ desks, and as Union elections and conventions are announced, the more of us that get involved, the stronger our Union will be.

This is the power of a democratic union. Not all unions are democratic. The ILWU is. It is famous for its democratic unionism. Every three years, the Union holds elections. Titled Officers, Division Directors, Business Agents, Local

Executive Board members, and Unit Officers are elected. Members who have both high expectations for these positions and who are willing to meet high expectations for these positions can run for any one of them. But members should first learn the work by being involved.

As we move into the third year of our first term, my fellow Titled Officers and I are proud of the progress we’ve made to unite our divisions, develop a talented and dedicated staff, and build back a

member-driven Union - the kind of Union the ILWU was designed to be. While we have seen some record contracts during our term - it is clear that there is still much important and hard work to do. You must be a part of this work.

We hope to see many of you this year. Whether at a training, taking political action, or at union events - it is all of us together that makes the Union strong and a positive force in our lives and our community.

The Grand Wailea Maui is Local 142’s largest single unit with over 800 members. Their contract expires on March 1, and things are heating up for negotiations.

The negotiation team began meeting to work on proposals last October, finishing their drafts in December. In early January, the Local sent staff mobilizers to work with the negotiations team to map their workplace and create a strategy to turn members out to a mid January union meeting. The negotiations team also launched an issues survey to capture critical issues across the 800-member unit.

The union meeting occurred on the evening of January 15, the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday, at the Wailuku hall. Seventy members from the Grand Wailea attended. This is a great start and an indication of broad interest in the upcoming negotiations.

Members discussed the proposals which were presented by the negotiations team. They also presented the results of the issue survey. Unsurprisingly, wages, staffing, and status were among the most common issues that members identified as priorities.

Mobilizing begins Once the negotiation team locked in their initial proposals, attention turned to making a plan to mobilize members. The Grand Wailea negotiation team is being supported by the Local’s Mobilization staff team, under the direction of President Chris West.

“The Grand is the largest single Unit in the Union”, said Business Agent Steve West. “To get the contract that members deserve will be an all hands on deck process. We are identifying leaders in all departments and implementing an education, training, and mobilizing program to connect as many members

as possible to negotiations. Then, when it’s time to mobilize, we can mobilize.”

In the coming weeks, members at the Grand are circulating a petition and expressing their commitment to take actions, both small and large, to get a good contract. The staff mobilizing team is tracking participation and supporting the BA and negotiations team to ensure that member mobilizing is in lock step with negotiations.

Important negotiations
The first round of negotiations took place on January 25-26, supported by Local President Chris West. Progress was made on several non-economic proposal items. The team is now putting together its economic proposals, and negotiations may restart as early as March.

Strong negotiations require a unit membership that is bought in, committed to their issues, and standing behind the

negotiations team. The work of the negotiations team to engage their unit members in the preparation for negotiations is excellent and important work to accomplish this.

The Hilton operates the Grand Wailea. Aside from being the first large negotiations of 2024, these negotiations touch those upcoming for the Waikoloa Hilton on Hawaiʻi Island. UNTITE HERE! Local 5 is also entering negotiations with the Hilton Hawaiian Village in Waikīkī

Other large unit negotiations set to take place this year include the Fairmont Orchid in Waimea and One Hotel Hanalei Bay.

We all stand with the members of the Grand Wailea and support you in achieving a very strong contract.

Members at four Maui cement companies are seeing the results of building their Units. Over the past few months, ILWU cement company members worked with their Business Agent, Ron Siliado, to correct contract violations that the company had been getting away with for some time.

The company was resistant at first, but the members and BA held their ground, and the company finally agreed to correct the problem. This win resulted in a greater turnout to union meetings as members saw the power of banding together. Union meeting attendance went

from less than ten to dozens in three months. Members focused on building the Unit Executive Boards and stewards, which were not intact a short time ago. Now, all four cement units have a full Unit Executive Board, and more members are stepping up to be stewards.

Joint labor-management meetings are also happening now that the Unit structure is built. Members meet with management to address contract issues directly and even issues outside the contract.

Maui Blocks recently finished negotiations and ratified their new contract, which held a substantial combined raise. HC&D is preparing to start talks in March, and Hawaiʻi Cement is already preparing for negotiations in April 2025.

Contract enforcement, labor management meetings, and successful negotiations happen when the Unit structure is strong and members are engaged. We commend the cement workers of Maui for setting the example.