HONOLULU—This year hundreds of ILWU rank and file union stewards and unit leaders will be attending one-day training classes run by the union. The classes teach them their duties 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.—continued on pages 4 and 5

Democrats set new agenda in Washington D.C.

HONOLULU—Senator Danny Akaka shared some of his excitement over the new direction being set by the Democratic majority in the US Congress at an informal luncheon get together with the ILWU and other AFL-CIO unions on April 3, 2007.

As senior members of the majority party in the Senate, Danny Akaka and Daniel Inouye are now heading powerful and influential committees. As chair of the Senate Committee on Veteran’s Affairs, Akaka is in the position to restore funding and take care of the many veteran’s programs such as health care and housing which provide vital and needed services to 25 million American veterans. These programs were long neglected and under funded by President Bush and the Republicans.

Akaka also sits on a number of committees important to Hawaii— the Committee on Armed Services, the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs (which oversees the Federal Emergency Management Agency), the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources (which overseas the Hawaiian home lands programs established by an act of Congress in 1920), and the Committee on Indian Affairs (which also deals with native Hawaiian concerns).

Inouye chairs the Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, and sits on the Committee on Appropriations and the Committee on Indian Affairs. Inouye also chairs the Senate Subcommittee on Defense and serves as a member on six other subcommittees dealing with labor, education, health and human services, state and foreign operations, energy and water, military construction and more.

“It’s a lot of work and we’re very busy,” Akaka confided to the labor leaders at the luncheon. They are busy setting the direction for these committees, holding hearings, securing funding for programs, and taking care of the work of running the country. ◆

Senator Daniel K. Akaka at an informal luncheon for AFL-CIO unions held at the Oahu ILWU hall on April 3.

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