HILO—“There is no nobler job than to build this union and help each other.” This message from keynote speaker Ah Quon McElrath sums up the purpose of Hawaii Division’s Annual Unit Recognition Banquet—which honors a group of outstanding ILWU Units that distinguished themselves in their service and dedication to members.
Unit 1516 - Mauna Lani Bay Hotel tied for the award for large units with over 100 members. Robyn Tadio (l) accepted the award.
Crese Kawaihae (l) accepts an award on behalf of Unit 1403 - Mauna Kea Macadamia Orchards—one of two outstanding units with 1-29 members. Unit 1513 - Makalei Hawaii also received this award
Pacita Salomon of Unit 1503 - Mauna Kea Beach Hotel was recognized for her many years of service as Unit Chair.
Retired president Eusebio “Bo” Lapenia Jr. (l) was thanked for his years of dedicated service to the ILWU by Richard Baker Jr. on behalf of Hawaii Division.
Unit 1503 - Mauna Kea Beach Hotel retiree Nemesio Sanchez (r) gives a stirring account of his participation in the AFL-CIO sponsored Immigrant Workers Freedom Ride.
Unit 1402 - Mauna Loa Macadamia Nut tied for the award for large units with over 100 members. (L-r) Unit officers Daisy Nakamoto and Wilma Revilla with Division Director Richard Baker Jr. (center). Unit 1201 - HT&T Co. won the award for 30-99 members.
The annual banquet, now in its 27th year, also serves as an important social event for Hawaii Island members. It brings together a very diverse group of members, retirees, and guests for an evening of good food, fellowship, and entertainment. This year over 200 people took part in Hawaii Division’s Annual Unit Recognition Banquet on February 21, 2004, at the ILWU Hall in Hilo.
Former Hawaii Division Director Fred Galdones, now the union’s president, was the first speaker of the evening’s program. Galdones listed the many serious challenges faced by the union and the community—a president, George Bush, who caters to the rich; free trade agreements that send jobs overseas; high medical care costs and prescription drugs our retirees can’t afford; the ice epidemic. Galdones urged unit leaders to register more members to vote—“President Bush has to be removed from the White House.” Another goal put forward by the Local president is to grow the union by 10 percent in the next three years. “We need to organize more, develop activities that members can participate in, and increase member involvement in the union,” Galdones said.
Eusebio “Bo” Lapenia Jr., who retired as Local 142 president, took the stage with two of his grandchildren—Kanen and Kwaylen. “I want to thank each and everyone of you for giving me the privilege of serving as your president the last 12 years,” Lapenia said. He added that his outlook of serving the membership and dedication to the union came out of his background. “Living in the plantation camp shaped me and what I believe in. I urge each and everyone of you to be active in your units.” As he left the stage, Lapenia had one final comment for the audience— “Anybody but Bush.”
Helping one another
Keynote speaker Ah Quon McElrath spoke from 65 years of experience, with an association with the ILWU that goes back to 1938. She retired from the staff of the union in 1981. “The whole idea of a union is kokua, of helping one another,” McElrath said. “This sense of community, this respect for each other as human beings, of helping each other—this gives meaning to the motto An Injury to One Is an Injury to All.”
McElrath gave the audience many helpful hints. “Find the answer to what organizes people together. Keep a record of what the retirees have done to learn from their experience. Put it in writing—put it on paper. Keep a little black, blue, or red book and write it down.” McElrath praised the active unit leaders for their “strength, conviction, and true dedication to your union. There is no nobler job than to build this union and help each other,” she added.
Hawaii Division Director Richard Baker Jr. continued the night’s emphasis on service and solidarity. “We’re here to serve you. We are a rank and file union,” Baker said. “We have a hard, hard road ahead of us. Employers are looking at a lot of takeaways. We need to fight against that. We need you to stand shoulder to shoulder with us.”
Immigrant rights and justice
The last speaker, Nemesio Sanchez, gave a stirring report on his experience as part of the Immigrant Workers Freedom Ride. Sanchez was one of three ILWU members who took part in a nation-wide campaign to educate Americans about the injustices of President Bush’s immigration policies. They joined a thousand other union members and immigrant workers on a 12- day bus journey that left from various cities to converge on Washington D.C. and finally New York City. Along the way, they stopped in towns and workplaces to hold rallies and educational events.
Sanchez, who worked as a bellman at the Mauna Kea Beach Hotel, told the audience the experience was the highest point in his life. He was proud of the ILWU’s long history of preserving and working for social justice. There are 40 million immigrants in the U.S. and millions of these immigrants are undocumented and subjected to great abuse and injustice. The Patriot Act, rushed into law by President Bush, created a two tiered justice system—one for citizens and one for immigrants. “America must be challenged to live up to its principles of freedom and justice for all, and for human dignity and respect,” Sanchez said. “As long as there is discrimination and unequal treatment, America is not America.”