ILWU Convention Resolutions—Principles and Goals of the Union
the University of Hawaii, including community colleges, are eligible for the Bouslog Labor Scholarship. Ten new scholarships are awarded each year. Scholarship awards may be renewed for up to eight semesters to allow for a full four years of scholarship assistance.
The 27th Convention of the ILWU Local 142 supports promotion of the Bouslog Labor Scholarship among all members with the goal to increase applications; and that convention delegates pledge to inform their unit members about the scholarship and encourage them to seek relatives who may qualify and will apply for the Bouslog Labor Scholarship; and recognizes the significant contributions made by Harriet Bouslog to the ILWU and expresses appreciation to Harriet Bouslog, her husband Stephen Sawyer, and her associate Mark Bernstein for continuing to support the Bouslog Labor Scholarship to help ILWU children obtain a college education.
R-18 • Long-Term Care
Long-term care for patients of any age is a necessity but extremely costly. Becoming aware and preparing for what may be inevitable must be a priority for everyone, whether for oneself or for a loved one. Help with the cost of long-term care is essential. The average middle-class person cannot afford the cost of long-term care for very long.
The 27th Convention of the ILWU Local 142 supports efforts to educate the public about the need for long-term care services and the costs associated with those services; and supports legislative measures that will help Hawaii residents pay for the cost of long-term care, including taxes that will likely be required; supports the CARE Act to require hospitals to allow patients to designate a caregiver, to notify the caregiver for discharge planning, and to instruct the caregiver about aftercare needs. The Convention also urges all ILWU members to become aware of long-term care issues, plan and prepare for their own long-term care needs and those of others, and take advantage of preventive measures to stay healthy.
R-19 • Protect Hawaii’s Prepaid Health Care Act and the Federal Affordable Care Act
ILWU members enjoy good health plan benefits because of their union contracts and because of the Prepaid Health Care Act. Although the Affordable Care Act has the potential to contain overall health care costs and has already set standards to remove lifetime benefit limits and provide coverage for young adult children, the full benefits of the ACA have yet to be seen. Calls for repeal of the ACA should be denied, but a push for a Hawaii waiver is needed to protect the Prepaid Health Care Act.
The 27th Convention of the ILWU Local 142 supports the Affordable Care Act and rejects any proposals for repeal and strongly supports a waiver for Hawaii to ensure that the Prepaid Health Care Act is protected, including the prevalent health plan standard. The Convention also urges all ILWU members seek to become educated about health care coverage issues and inform their families about the laws and their impact on individuals and families.
R-20 • Support of ILWU Political Action
Each citizen has the power to determine who their elected officials will be and whose interests they will serve. We should not abdicate that power to anyone else. Support ILWU Political Action— vote in 2016!
The 27th Convention of the ILWU Local 142 acknowledges the significant role played by the ILWU in shaping the history of these islands and the politics of Hawaii. All convention delegates pledge to register voters, work on behalf of ILWU-endorsed candidates, and get out the vote in 2016.
R-21 • ILWU VEBA Trust
What is the ILWU VEBA Trust? VEBA stands for Voluntary Employees Beneficiary Association. Unlike TaftHartley Trust Funds, where contributions are made by employers, VEBA contributions are made by employees or, in this case, by participating ILWU units for their members. The purpose of the ILWU VEBA Trust is to accumulate funds that will earn interest, be set aside for individual members, and provide for medical benefits upon the member’s retirement.
The 27th Convention of the ILWU Local 142 continues to support the ILWU VEBA Trust and encourages units to continue their participation and consider increasing monthly contributions for members.
R-22 • Retirement of Michael Machado
At the end of 2015, Michael Machado will retire as Kauai Division Director after 39 years as a member of the ILWU and 24 years of service as an ILWU leader.
Mike considers the ILWU the greatest union ever, especially for being so democratic, progressive, and standing up for the rights of all workers, whomever they may be, allowing members like him so many opportunities.
The 27th Convention of the ILWU Local 142 extends sincere appreciation to Michael Machado for his many years of serving the Union, providing leadership as a Kauai Division Business Agent and Division Director and supporting the ILWU’s programs and positions; and wishes Mike well in his retirement and is thankful that he will remain a part of the ILWU ohana as a newly minted pensioner.
Union families enjoy Labor Day in Waikiki
HONOLULU—More than 5,000 union members and their families enjoyed the music, fun, ono food and numerous prize giveaways of Foodland gift certificates and gift cards at the Hawaii Labor Unity Picnic sponsored by the Hawaii Building & Construction Trades Council at the Waikiki Shell on Sunday, September 6, 2015.
Hundreds of children actively played on the bouncers and games staged by Kamaaina Kids in the Keiki Zone. There were long lines at the numerous union sponsored tents as they passed out pork sliders, popcorn, slush floats, candy bars, balloons, fruit bars, and school supplies. Other tents featured a fishing game, and a “water game” where one attempts to drop a penny into a ring at the bottom of a glass tank filled with water. One must use what they learned in physics, such as refraction from the glass, surface tension, and fluid resistance (drag) of an object traveling in water or just plain LUCK.
Event goers were encouraged to make donations of canned or dry goods to benefit the AFL-CIO Labor’s Community Services and a chance to win a $500 Hawaiian Air gift card. The food drive collected close to 850 pounds of food to stock the Labor’s Community Services food pantry
Live music was provided by Jeff Rasmusen, Robi Kahakalau, Sean Naauao, Isle 5 & Princess Ilona Irvine, Micah G and Nesian 9. The event was free to union members and their families.
The Labor Unity Picnic was made possible through the contributions by the following unions: Hawaii Building & Construction Trades Council, Hawaii State AFL-CIO, United Public Workers Local 646, District Council 50, IBEW Local 1186, Plasterers and Cement Masons Local 630, Plumbers & Pipe Fitters Local 675, Metal Trades Council Hawaii, Hawaii Nurses Association, Hawaii Teamsters Local 996, ILWU Local 142, Sheet Metal Workers Local 293, International Union of Elevator Constructors Local 126, AIL/ OPEIU Local 277, IBEW Local 1260, Asbestos Workers Local 132, American Federation of Government Employees, and Marine Firemen’s Union.
Robert Lemafa and family in front of the ILWU Local 142 tent. Lemafa works for Polynesian Adventure Tours on Oahu, which was recently organized into the ILWU’s Oahu Division.