Local 142 Convention in September

The second major meeting is the Local 142 Convention, which will be held in Honolulu from September 15-19, 2003. Just as the International Convention is the highest governing body of the International union, the Local
142 Convention is the highest governing body for ILWU Local 142 in Hawaii. This convention is usually attended by more than 500 delegates from the 200 plus units that make up Local 142 Hawaii.

Meeting in convention, these rank-and-file delegates have the power to review the work of the Local officers, set the direction of the union in Hawaii, and propose amendments to the Local 142 Constitution. However, unlike the Interna- tional, the work of the Local 142 Convention and any changes to the constitution must be ratified by the members of Local 142. Membership meetings must be held to give members a full accounting of what happened at the convention and to get their vote of approval. In the ILWU, the members have the final say of what happens in their union. This is what makes the ILWU democratic.

Delegates to the Local Convention are elected by direct rank-and-file vote by the members of each ILWU unit. All units with 10 or more members are entitled to one delegate and up to five delegates for units with more
than 751 members. These delegates attend the convention at the Local’s expense. Units may send additional
delegates with observer status at the unit’s expense. At the last Local Convention held in September 2000, Local 142 had a total of 124 delegates—27 were Local delegates and 97 were unit delegates from some 49 units.

Units usually hold meetings in June or July to elect their delegates to the Local Convention. Delegates must be elected by secret ballot and all names must be submitted to the Divisions no later than July 28, 2003.

International elections from June to July

The first internal union election will be at the International level. This election spans the period from mid-April to mid-July and involves the four International titled officers and the members of the International executive board, all of whom serve a three year term of office.

The International officers are the president, two vice-presidents, and a secretary-treasurer. Together they run the day-to-day affairs of the union and supervise the International staff. The International Executive Board consist of the four titled officers and additional members elected from the six ILWU regions and from the marine division or
Inlandboatmen’s Union (IBU) on a per capita basis.

The International Executive Board is the second highest governing body of the union and has the power to take action and make policies between meetings of the convention. The executive board must meet at least three times a year. Local 142 has six members on the executive board—President Bo Lapenia, Richard Morgan from Oahu, Robert Zahl from Maui, Wilma Revilla from Hawaii, Nate Lum and Jaylene Pascual from Oahu.

The officers and executive board members are nominated on the last day of the International Convention from
among the delegates of the Convention. This means you must be a delegate to run for international office. You must also have been a dues paying member of the ILWU for at least five years and worked as a rank-and-file
ILWU member for at least two years.

In Hawaii, the International election has usually been conducted by mail. While the exact timetable for the election
has yet to be worked out, Hawaii members could normally expect to receive their ballots in June and have until July to return the ballots. The International Constitution requires the election to be completed within 70 days after the adjournment of the convention.

Members can also expect to receive campaign literature or see candidates campaigning beginning in May and throughout the balloting period. Members have the right to support the candidates of their choice.

Local 142 elections in November

The second internal union election is for the officers of Local 142. This election will span the period from mid- August to late November. This election includes the full-time officers who carry on the day-to-day work of the union,local executive board members, and the delegates to the 2006 International Convention.

All members in good standing have the right to support and vote for the candidates of their choice. Members who meet the requirements also have the right to run for these offices.

A total of 28 full-time officers are elected. This includes: three Local officers—president, vice-president, and secretary-treasurer; four division directors; and 21 business agents. Local 142 is somewhat unusual in electing business agents from among its member- ship. Many unions appoint or hire business agents.

Candidates for the three Local offices and five executive board positions from the industrial groupings are nominated on the last day of the Local Convention. Similar to the requirements for International office, you must be an official delegate or observer to run for these offices.

Nominations for all other local elected positions do not require you to be a convention delegate or observer. You are required to be a member in good standing for different periods of time, depending on the position and you must submit a petition signed by at least 25 members in good standing. These petitions must be turned in to the Secretary-Treasurer between September 1 and September 15, inclusive. These offices include the division director, division trustees, division local executive board members, business agents, and International Convention delegates.

In addition, members must meet the job requirements of the position to serve as a local or division officer. Please consult the Local 142 Constitution for the exact requirements for each office.

Balloting for the Local Election will take place the week of November 15-21, 2003. Members can expect to receive campaign literature from candidates throughout the election period.

Unit elections in December

The third and last internal union election is for unit officers. Units may hold their elections anytime from August 1, 2003 to December 31, 2003. Some of these elections take place at the same time as the Local elections. Many
units hold their elections in early December, after the completion of the Local elections. Members who meet the requirements have the right to run for any unit office, to vote in unit elections, and serve as election volunteers.

Help Wanted—Balloting Committees

A lot of effort goes into making democracy work. Someone has to determine the best dates to hold the election at your unit. Someone has to check the membership lists to make sure only members in good standing cast a ballot.

—More on page 6