“Love’s Bakery’s closure reminds me of the closure at HC&S,” said ILWU Local 142 President Donna Domingo, referring to the last sugar plantation on Maui that closed in December of 2016. “At both, generations have been working there, and the workers have had so much longevity and commitment. When that comes to an end, it’s a lot to deal with mentally and emotionally. As their union, we need to assess the workers’ challenges so we can best serve them at this time.”
ILWU Local 142 has been around as a structured and organized union for nearly as many years as longstanding businesses like Love’s Bakery, an institution in Hawaii for 170 years.
With this vast amount of years of experience, the Local is no stranger to assisting workers through transitions of this magnitude.
ILWU: People First
Roberta “Bobbi” Oshiro, a member in the clerical department at Love’s for 39 years said, “People always ask me why I stayed at Love’s so long. I say it’s because of the people here. I’m so grateful how the union stepped up to help us at this time. It really shows they care about people how they’re making sure no one falls through the gap.”
Another longtime Love’s worker Janet Faufata, who worked for 25 years at the thrift store at the Kalihi plant as an outlet clerk, also noted the lasting impact that comes from human connection.
Upon reflection, she said, “I would have made 25 years at Love’s on April 1st. When I got the letter saying that that would be the date I’d be unemployed by, I thought it was an April Fool’s joke. I’m going to miss seeing the families coming in to buy bread with their young kids. It was so cute to see the same kids grow up and still remember me every time they’d come to the store.”
Moving on united
The union will be a way for resilient members like Bobbi and Janet to stay connected in a challenging time. Both Oshiro and Faufata attended the union’s unemployment information sessions held at the Honolulu Union Hall.
These sessions have been ongoing since March 17, held thrice weekly, so as many members as possible can receive individualized one-on-one and person to person help from a team of experts who have teamed up alongside the union (see following page for more details).
History of helping
The union has always acted proactively in the best interest of the workers, whether it was in the past mobilizing politically to testify for laws labeling frozen bread to waylay the cheaper frozen competition or facilitating educative sessions to help the workers with their next steps.
Please see the following pages for more stories from our resilient members we are proud to assist as our ohana.
Love’s Bakery members and retirees in 2011 testifying at the Capitol in favor of a law that would require previously frozen and thawed bread to be labeled as such. Labeling gives consumers important information about products and helps them make informed decisions on what they buy.
From left to right: Marie Tugaoen, Marilyn Asari, Aileen Paguirigan, Sandy Kapuniai, Julieta Labasan pictured packing the last of the bread production to distribute to their fellow workers on March 25, 2021.
Top left: Love’s Bakery members picking up food from an ILWU Food Drive. Oahu has been distributing food to members virtually every month. Boxes of food were also distributed at the plant before it closed and in some cases personally delivered. Th ere will be more food drives in the future to assist those most in need like our members at Love’s. Top right: Janet Faufata at the union hall in Honolulu for an unemployment info session.
Sandy Kapuniai (a former foreman for the cake shop for 21 years), stepdaughter Ricquel Albano, and daughter Chelsea Kapuniai who coat the breads for shipping. Many of the workers at Love’s have been there for generations. Th e future will be brighter if we remember the importance of family and togetherness in difficult times.