Substantial gains were made in other areas as well. Wages will increase by about 2.5 percent each year for a total gain of 10.5 percent over the life of the contract. Tipped workers will get 10 cents added to their hourly base pay every year for a total gain of 50 cents. As the result of these increases, the wages paid for many of the job classifications at the Grand Wailea will be the highest of any Maui hotel.
The new contract set higher industry standards for group baggage handling porterage with an immediate increase to $4.50 per person ($9 total for check-in and out) paid to bell workers. The porterage increases to $5 per person on future group movements. An additional fee for “double handling” baggage will increase to $2.50. Fees for making deliveries inside the room will increase to $2.25.
Valet attendants have long complained about not receiving part of the parking fee the hotel charged guests for overnight parking. The attendants would park the cars and guests assumed the parking fee included a gratuity or tip for the valet attendant. The union solved this problem by negotiating a premium of $1.50 (increasing to $2.00 in 2005 and $2.25 in 2006) for each car.
Housekeepers will get an increase to $1.50 for each roll-away bed or cribs in the room. The premium increases to $2.00 in 2005 and $2.25 in 2006.
Grand Wailea ILWU members were able to achieve a good contract by supporting their hard working negotiating committee. Pictured above is committee member Perlita Manlansing (left) with unit members.
New benefits for casual workers
The union negotiating committee worked hard to improve benefits for casual employees. A new benefit, not found in any ILWU hotel contract, will give charter casual employees a basic medical plan with the hotel paying 90 percent of the premium.
The overtime pay for casuals working on a holiday will increase to two times their normal wage rate. The old rate was one and one-half times their normal wage rate.
Casuals with five years of seniority will receive a paid birthday holiday if they worked at least one day within the thirty days immediately preceding their birthday.
Many other improvements
Improvements were made in many other areas of the contract. Hotel contribution to the pension plan will increase from $.15 an hour to $.21 an hour in 2007. The number of sick leave days earned per year will increase. Medical co-payments for current employees were held to existing levels until the last year of the contract, when an increase involving charter employees only will go into effect. Beginning January 2008, charter employees will pay $14 for single and $25 for family medical each month. New employees will pay $40 for single medical coverage and $75.01 for family coverage each month. The co-payments for new hires will increase by roughly 12 percent each year for single coverage and 6 percent each year for family coverage.
A number of other issues were addressed in negotiations. Employees with a prior commitment for medical or other health related appointments will not be assigned non-scheduled work or overtime on those days. The employees, however, must provide evidence of these appointments one week prior to the posting of their weekly schedule.
Full-Time and Part-Time Status
The hotel agreed to work with the union to preserve an employee’s job status when they fail to work the minimum number of hours solely because of a decline in the hotel’s business.
The following hours will be counted to determine status: hours in your primary job, temporary transfer hours, paid vacation, paid holidays, paid funeral leave, paid jury duty leave, hours lost due to military leave, hours lost due to authorized union leave, hours lost due to paid sick leave or workers’ compensation, and hours lost due to leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act and/or the State’s Family Leave Law.
Committee Members
The union committee did an outstanding job, considering the unusual circumstances of this negotiations. Members of the ILWU negotiating committee were: Jason Medeiros (chair), Stephen West, Tiffany Kolo, Perlita Manlansing, Robert Apo, Shanti Om, Tim Noble, Jodie Day, Valerie Salmon, Merlina Valdez, Manuel Gamiao, Henry Oandasan, and Josie Bulosan. Local President Fred Galdones served as the union’s chief negotiator. ◆
Bush Tax Cut Lie —continued from page 7
Even the element of corporate scandals under George W. Bush was first experienced under Reagan. Today it is almost forgotten how Reagan tax-and-deregulation policies encouraged and facilitated the massive Savings & Loan scandal that eventually cost the American taxpayers a trillion dollars to clean up.
In a Feb. 19, 2004 speech on the economy Bush arrogantly declared, “We’ve been through a lot. But we acted here in Washington. I led.”
Yes, like the Pied Piper of Hamlin led, playing the same tax tune on his jobs flute all the way...right over the cliff!
Jack Rasmus is the chair of the San Francisco Bay Area local chapter 3 of the National Writers Union, UAW 1981, AFL-CIO, and a long-time member of the Dramatists Guild. Rasmus has a Ph.D. in Political Economy
Knowledge is Power for Union Stewards
HONOLULU—This year hundreds of ILWU rank and file stewards and officers will be attending one-day training classes run by the union. The classes teach them their rights and responsibilities as union stewards, how to involve and mobilize the members in their units, and how to use the union contract to protect members’ rights and benefits.
The classes are part of the ILWU’s regular education program that focuses on providing on-going education to rank and file leaders and union members. A democratic union like the ILWU requires an educated and informed membership and on-the-job union leaders who get the support and training they need to do the work of the union.
Thus far, eight classes have been held in Hilo, Kona, Maui, Kauai, and Oahu, attended by 185 members. More classes will be scheduled and held throughout the year.
The one-day classes are only a small part of the total learning that goes on in the ILWU. Unit and full-time officers acquire most of their union skills and knowledge the same way most workers learn their jobs—from more experienced workers and from on-thejob experience. Other very important ways they gain knowledge is through individual study, reading, or taking courses at labor centers such as National Labor School (formerly the George Meany Labor Center). Unit officers and stewards who are interested in attending these classes should speak to their business agent. ◆
Susan Seril from Foodland, Jonarene Troutman from Wilcox Memorial Hospital, and Linda Inouye from Kauai Commercial tell each other the story of how they got active in the union. Most of them got involved because they want to help their fellow workers.
“Say Hello to your members.” Business Agent Elmer Gorospe acts the part of the new member while Division Director Richard Baker demonstrates how he welcomed new workers to the union when he was a steward at the Hilo Coast Processing Company.