Oahu Division Business Agent Paris Fernandez, Local Secretary-Treasurer Guy Fujimura, U.S. Senator Brian Schatz, Oahu Division Representative Jose Miramontes and Oahu Division Business Agent Dillon Hullinger at the Hawaii Labor Unity Picnic at the Waikiki Shell on Labor Day, September 1, 2014.
The ILWU Local 142 Political Action Committee is endorsing David Ige, the democratic nominee for Governor, and Lieutenant Governor Shan Tsutsui in the November 4 General Election. Together, this team has over 38 years of legislative experience. Both candidates have and will continue to champion issues important to working families such as better education, lowering the cost of healthcare, maintaining workers’ compensation, and improving long-term care.
We can depend on them to work hard to set a course that meets the needs of Hawaii’s future generations. Some of those needs include working on developing clean energy and a statewide grid, maintaining the Jones Act, and stimulating job growth and economic and environmental sustainability
Remember the Lingle Administration?
Governor Linda Lingle and Lieutenant Governor James “Duke” Aiona opposed or used the power of the governor’s veto to block nearly every single issue that was important to Hawaii’s working families. (See “Report on Political Action” from 2002 Legislative Session to 2010 Legislative Session at http://ilwulocal142. org/blog/report-on-political-action.)
As a labor union, ILWU Local 142 is politically independent. This means we support candidates based on what they actually do for working people and not on their party affiliation. We look at whether these candidates share our vision of a society that:
• respect the labor of working people by providing jobs with living wages
• takes care of the less fortunate among us by providing community services and disaster relief
• addresses public concerns such as better schools, health care and a cleaner environment
• welcomes people of all races, color, sex, age and beliefs and treats them as equals. This vision puts us much closer to the Democrats then the Republicans, which is why our union usually endorses many more Democrats and very few Republican candidates.
When Republican candidates work in the best interests of working people, the ILWU supports them. For example, Representatives Aaron Ling Johanson and Cynthia Thielen have both taken progressive positions on social issues and backed bills that helped working families at the State Legislature. They are endorsed by the ILWU.
ILWU endorses Schatz, Takai and Gabbard for Congress
The ILWU Local 142 Political Action Committee also endorses Brian Schatz for U.S. Senate, Mark Takai for the U.S. Representative Congressional District 1, and Tulsi Gabbard for U.S. Representative Congressional District 2.
Schatz, Takai and Gabbard have records of defending the rights of the working people and share the same visions, goals and principles of the ILWU. We can depend on them to work hard to fix our broken bridges and highways, stimulate job growth by investing in education, protect workers and the environment, and preserve Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid.
Vote for union endorsed candidates, and talk with your family and friends about voting “union.” You can also volunteer to support endorsed candidates’ campaigns with sign waving, phone banking, and canvassing. It’s still not too late to register to vote in the General Election which will be held on November 4, 2014. Get the new Wikiwiki Voter Registration form at http:// hawaii.gov/elections/voters/registration. htm or call your Division office.
Unit 4526 - Pacific Beach Hotel members with State Representatives (l-r): Alan AhYo, Jacqueline Taylor-Lee, Rep. Tom Brower, Rep. Mark Takai, Rep. Aaron Ling Johanson, Keith “Kapena” Kanaiaupuni, Cesar Pedrina, and Kenny Cheong.
