Travel the Hamakua Coast between Hilo and Honokaa, and you’ll see many communities that were once plantation camps housing sugar workers and their families: Pepeekeo, Kulaimano, Laupahoehoe, and Paauilo are some of the bigger ones.

There have been many changes on the Hamakua Coast since the plantations shut down, but longtime Hawai‘i Island residents can still name many of the families living there. Travel this route with Gilbert De Motta, and there’s a good chance he can tell you who’s living in the house, what they used to do on the plantation, and obstacles that had to be overcome for these former sugar workers to own their homes.

Connecting communities 
In 2017, when the ILWU wanted to show community support for the Hu Honua bioenergy plant, De Motta was asked to help. He went door-to-door in Honomu, Pepeekeo, and Kulaimano, and in less than two days collected more than 500 signatures on a petition to support the project.

It was the foresight of the union’s leadership at that time and decades of tireless work by Gilbert De Motta that helped so many ILWU members, pensioners, and their families to continue living on the Hamakua Coast – and in other communities across the Big Island.

De Motta’s vision 
Gilbert De Motta is an ILWU pensioner and former Hawaii Division Housing Committee Chair. A Grade 9 Journeyman welder who won the respect of federal, state, and county officials, employers, bankers, contractors and business people. As employers began to shut down Big Island plantation camps, De Motta and the ILWU pulled together resources from all of these interests to keep sugar workers from losing their homes.

De Motta admits that he had no interest in buying a plantation home when the idea was brought up by his unit chair Shige Nakatani. “Every morning we gotta shake the sheets because [of] the termite droppings – why we gonna buy plantation house?” he asked.

“But the company was selling [plantation camps in] Papaikou and Wainaku, so we saw the trend. We discussed it in the UEB and voted to build housing in Kulaimano for our members. Shige asked me to help with this.”

Serving the members 
That was in 1966. Since then, De Motta has approached this responsibility in the ILWU tradition: work with the members, listen to their ideas, and organize workers to fight for their interests.

De Motta went house-to-house in the camps, talking to members and getting their ideas on designs for the homes. “Members wanted a shower room before you go inside the house because we got so dirty at work. The house could only have one step in case someone got hurt and had to use crutches.” Members voted on a common house color to keep painting costs low. A local building supply company agreed to provide discounted materials and free house plans.

Wages were low in sugar, so De Motta and Nakatani had to find lenders willing to finance affordable mortgages. The U.S. Department of Agriculture provided low-interest loans to rural workers, but at the time only American citizens were eligible. “We had to find a way for our Japanese and Filipino members to buy their homes,” said De Motta, “So we negotiated an agreement with a local bank to get a low interest rate for members who weren’t citizens.”

True leadership 
Retired Local 142 President Fred Galdones spoke of an experience he had while working with De Motta. “We were developing lower Kulaimano subdivision for our Unit 1104 members (Hilo Coast Processing Company and Mauna Kea Sugar Company). Gilbert and I were searching for a contractor to build the homes and one of the contractors offered to take the housing committee members, at the contractor’s expense, to visit their factory in Oregon.

“Gilbert rejected the offer and told the contractor to use the money to lower the cost of the homes. Gilbert said the committee members were not serving for their own personal benefit, but for the benefit of those they represent.

“This was a lesson that I have carried with me in expanding my duties in the leadership roles in this organization, the ILWU.”

Tireless effort on behalf of members 
Former ILWU International Vice President (Hawaii) Leonard Hoshijo said of De Motta: “Gilbert could have been called a top community organizer. The framework was there in the ILWU structure, but he educated workers and families about housing – from materials to mortgage programs. He got members to speak with one voice and represented them with employers, government officials, and contractors.

“All the while, Gilbert would say, ‘I not getting things done because I’m handsome.’ Gilbert was always clear that, with government for example, they listened to him because he spoke for the ILWU.

“While some people say they’re ‘too busy’ – and don’t do much – Gilbert was always busy and ready to do more. At one time, he had the housing activity, was a shop steward, turned out for PAC activities, played on a softball team, and was going to judo. That’s not to mention family, home improvements, his welding job at Hilo Coast, hunting, and, of course, riding his Harley.”

In this photo taken in 2017, Hilo Coast Processing Company pensioner Pio Miprano (left) sits on his porch with Gilbert De Motta. Miprano, who has since passed away, bought his Wainaku home with the help of De Motta and the ILWU. Read this article to find out more about housing opportunities!

Surmounting obstacles 
Twenty-five years ago, the ILWU effort to preserve housing for sugar workers faced its biggest single challenge. In March 1993, Hamakua Sugar Company closed. Hundreds of ILWU members lost their jobs, and 425 families living in in eight Hamakua Sugar camps faced the loss of their homes.

De Motta and the ILWU helped residents create the nonprofit Hamakua Housing Corporation (HHC) and to organize associations at each of the individual camps. HHC gathered resources to build water and sewage systems in the camps and trained residents to lead their communities. Federal, state, and county governments provided funds to help save the camp housing – in addition to monies for job training and economic development.

The closure of Hamakua Sugar was devastating, but the efforts of De Motta and the ILWU provided genuine assistance to our members and the community. And it’s not over yet.

Current opportunities 
For several years, De Motta has been working to make two vacant lots in Kapehu Camp available for sale to former Hamakua Sugar members. These lots are now owned by the nonprofit Kapehu Neighborhood Corporation.

Because of De Motta’s perseverance, ILWU members employed at Hamakua Sugar on March 5, 1993 will be able to bid for these Kapehu Camp lots based on seniority, with priority given to those who do not own a house or property.

The cost for each of these lots will be $1.00 plus the cost to clear and survey the lots and to prepare legal documents for the sale.