lower house. Those elected included a number of union members who were encouraged to run for office. The Democratic majority in the legislature repealed many of the anti-labor laws and passed a law that gave agricultural workers the right to unionize. In 1954, Democrats won 55 of 76 elections, giving them a majority in the house and senate.
The plantations ran their own clinics and housing, but the population was growing and the plantations were mechanizing and cutting their workforce. The Democrats and unions shared many of the same political goals—they believed government had to change to provide the services needed by the ordinary working people of Hawaii. They built public schools, community colleges, and expanded the education programs of the University of Hawaii. They built public hospitals to take the place of the private plantation clinics. They built parks, public housing, and started programs for the elderly. They changed the tax system to equalize the burden where people with higher incomes paid higher taxes.
The Democrats, with the support of the labor movement, passed laws to give public workers the right to collective bargaining, increase the minimum wage, provide unemployment insurance, improve Workers Compensation for injured workers, require job safety, protect the environment, manage economic development, and preserve agricultural land and water resources.
Union members must be involved in political action to protect these hard-won gains and rights.
3. Our government has grown to serve many of the needs of working families.
Many working families are misled to believe government is bad, politicians are crooks, and taxes are too high. These ideas come from negative and deceptive propaganda put out by groups who oppose many of the goals of working families.
In reality, working people receive a lot from government. We depend on government to run our schools, take care of the health and welfare of the community, provide for public safety and emergencies, and maintain our highways, harbors, and airports. These government functions account for 85 percent of the state’s expenses.
Workers depend on government to safeguard and promote the long term well-being of the community. This is why government regulates businesses to protect the public from contaminated and harmful products, prohibit price-fixing and deceptive business practices, require job safety, and prevent mistreatment of workers. Government regulation could have prevented the financial crisis caused by the reckless conduct of mortgage companies and banks.
Republicans oppose this expanded role of government. They want to cut public services which serve the needs of working families and they want to eliminate taxes and regulation of business. Republicans try to turn the public against government by using loaded, negative words such as “big” government, “corrupt” politicians, tax “burden”, “waste”, and “bureaucracy”. These loaded words are repeated by the media, and many voters are misled about the essential role and function of government.
Union members must educate their co-workers to support their union’s political action program and maintain needed government services to working families.
4. The political process, like negotiations, requires making laws acceptable to the majority.
Even if every union member and their family voted for labor supported candidates, there would not be enough votes to pass good labor laws. Union members must also volunteer to help endorsed candidates win their elections in other districts
Hawaii’s labor movement has never had a strong majority of support in the legislature. Unions have to work together with likeminded groups and legislators to gain enough support to make laws. Sometimes compromises have to be made. While the final laws are not everything labor wants, real gains are made which lays the foundation for future improvements.
There are many districts where most of the voters are not union members. Some of these legislators vote to support labor programs because they come from a working class background and believe in the same principles. In other cases, the union must work hard to educate and persuade legislators on the issues important to workers.
The union will endorse and support candidates based on their record of working with the union on labor issues. Most of the endorsed candidates are on Oahu, and many more ILWU members on Oahu are needed to help elect legislators in other districts.
Union members are needed to go house-to-house, talk to voters, make phone calls, and wave signs.
Union members increase their union’s bargaining power to pass good laws by helping union endorsed candidates in other districts.
5. Union political action continues all year long.
Many people think their vote does not count for much and political action ends after the election. This is true when people act as individuals. When union members get involved and support their union’s political action program, this focuses and multiples their power as working people.
The union works throughout the year to promote programs that benefit working families at all levels of government. The union watches bills that are proposed by the State Legislature, County Councils, and US Congress.
The union works to build support for good bills and defeat bad bills. This involves educating legislators on the issues and gaining their support. It involves having union members testify at public hearings or organizing members to phone and write letters to their elected representatives. It involves working together with other unions, churches, and community organizations to pass good bills.
Every ILWU unit should have a political action committee to educate members and recruit volunteers to help elect union endorsed candidates.
Register to Vote
Register to vote anytime before August 19 for the Primary Election or October 4 for the General Election.
If you are already registered, you can request an absentee ballot after July 20 and do your voting by mail. It’s easy and there is no need to drive to your polling site or wait in line.
