The convention was originally scheduled to be held at the Ilikai Hotel in Honolulu from September 18-22, 2006. However, the hotel was sold in February 2006, the management contract with Renaissance was terminated, and the new owners began moving forward with the renovation and sale of half of the hotel rooms as condominium units.

The problems became more and more serious. First, the new owners had other priorities and the change in management upset many previous arrangements reached with the Renaissance team on use of the hotel facilities. Second, there were not enough rooms available at reasonable rates for the 400 plus delegates expected to attend the convention and many would have to be housed at other hotels. Third, the new owners had scheduled renovation work in September which would affect the meeting rooms. Fourth, the collective bargaining agreement with the hotel and HERE Local 5 expired and there would be the possibility of a labor dispute involving the Ilikai and other Waikiki hotels around the time of the convention.

Forced to move 
The contract with the Ilikai provides for a cancellation without penalty if done at least 45 days before the event. After reviewing the situation, the executive committee of the union made the decision to cancel the contract and move the ILWU’s 24th Convention to another hotel. There were a number of requirements—the hotel had to have at least 12,000 square feet of banquet and meeting facilities, have enough rooms for five days in September, and offer all of this at a reasonable price.

Nothing was available on Oahu for the required dates, but seven ILWU organized hotels on Kauai, the Big Island, and Maui had potential—the Grand Hyatt Kauai, the Fairmont Orchid Hawaii, the Hilton Waikoloa Village, the Hyatt Regency Maui, the Grand Wailea Resort, the Westin Maui, and the Ritz-Carlton Kapalua. The number of airline flights from other islands and the availability of inexpensive, local food near the hotel narrowed the field to Maui and finally to the Ritz-Carlton, Kapalua.

The ILWU has always held the meetings of its highest governing body on the island of Oahu, usually alternating between the Sheraton Waikiki and Ilikai hotels. Even though the majority of the union’s membership live and work on the Neighbor Islands, Oahu was a convenient gathering place. The Honolulu airport is the central hub for flights to and from all islands. Government offices, attorneys, accountants, and other professionals the union had to deal with are based in Honolulu.

Logistics and expenses 
The statewide headquarters of the union is also located near Waikiki and has the staff and the printing presses, collating and stapling machines to produce the tremendous Unit 2523 - Ritz Carlton Kapalua What is the Convention and what does it do? L o c a l 1 4 2 C o n v e n t i o n amount of printed materials required by the convention. ILWU-style democracy gives delegates the power to make and change policies and this requires printing thousands of copies of reports and resolutions throughout the five days of the convention. Holding the convention on another island would require bringing some of the Oahu based office workers to staff a work room with computers and high speed printers and copiers. Guest speakers would also need to be flown to the island and housed.

Besides the added logistical expenses, the costs for rooms and food will be higher. Most of the ILWU organized hotels are luxury-class resorts with higher room rates then Waikiki. The Ritz-Carlton, Kapalua, for example is rated as a Five Star hotel with the highest levels of service and amenities, while the Ilikai Waikiki is a Three Star hotel with basic services and moderate room rates. The Ritz-Carlton will be giving the convention a very competitive rate, but it is still higher than the rates at a hotel like the Ilikai. Some of the higher cost is due to the fact that ILWU members who work at the Ritz-Carlton earn higher wages and receive better benefits than Waikiki workers under the HERE Local 5 contract.

Holding the 24th ILWU Convention on Maui at the Ritz-Carlton, Kapalua will be a new experience for the union and for the convention delegates. The delegates may well decide that all future conventions should be held at ILWU hotels. ◆

What is the Convention and what does it do?

ILWU democracy is based on putting the members of the union in charge of their union. They do this by meeting in convention to decide the policies and programs of the union, set the finances and budget, and make all other rules which govern the union.

The convention is the highest governing body of the union. It is held once every three years in the month of September, and is attended by approximately 400 rank and file members who are elected by their co-workers from ILWU “units” throughout the State of Hawaii. A “unit” is the union organization at each job site or company, such as the Ritz-Carlton unit, which is made up of all the ILWU members who work at that hotel. However, there are also units such as Foodland with many job sites and some units which represent only certain workers within a company. Every unit with 10 or more members is entitled to at least one delegate, with additional delegates based on membership. About 120 units are expected to send delegates to the Convention.

The work of the convention takes five full days (and a few evenings) of meetings and deliberations to complete. On the first day, delegates will work in three committees to review a series of reports on the work of the union in the last three years and proposed plans for the next three years. These reports cover the following program areas: contract administration, political action, education and publicity, and membership services.

On the second day, delegates continue their work in two different committees. One committee will review the officers’ report, organizing, and propose policies in the form of resolutions. The second committee will review and recommend changes to the union’s constitution and by-laws.

The work of all five committees must then be approved by the entire delegation to the convention.

On the third or fourth day, delegates will review and adopt a budget to fund the work of the union and any proposed programs. On the fifth and last day, delegates will nominate the candidates for the top elected officers of the union—the president, vice-president, secretary-treasurer—and industrial grouping members of the local executive board.

Throughout the five days, delegates will also hear from invited guest speakers and remarks from the Local 142 President and the ILWU International Officers. ◆