Have you seen this photograph before? Can you tell what it is? The ‘Iolani Palace in the background signifies a royal event—and indeed it is. This image captures part of the funeral procession of Queen Liliʻuokalani, as her body was moved to lie in state at the Palace. The men in white are “poʻolā,” or Native Hawaiian stevedores.
Increasing awareness and growing pride in Hawaiʻi’s labor movement was the goal for this year’s Ea Hawaiʻi Field School - a week-long Maui-based 3-credit class with students from Oʻahu, Maui, and this year, Lānaʻi. The 2025 field school was a collaboration between UH Mānoa, UH Maui College, and for the first time in the program’s ten year history, the Lānaʻi Education Center and the ILWU Local 142.
This summer, Local 142 members finds themselves at two ends of the bargaining table in Hawai‘i’s healthcare sector—celebrating a contract win at Kaiser Permanente and stepping into a high stakes contract negotiation for members at the Straub Medical Center.
It’s been two years since wind and fire mixed to set Lahaina ablaze. The devastation was swift and widespread — entire neighborhoods reduced to ash, hundreds displaced, and a beloved historic town forever changed. But in the months and years since, something else has taken root: the long, uneven, but determined path toward healing and rebuilding.
The 2025 ILWU Sports Calendar dropped, marking one of the union’s oldest traditions of bringing members together for fun and camaraderie.
Golf’s Return to Kaua’i
The season kicks off in Kauaʻi with the Local Statewide Golf Tournament. Tyson Moises, Kauaʻi Division Business Agent is the new Division Sports Coordinator for that island. He is also a 27-year baseball coach and active in the Kauaʻi athletics community. Moises is glad to see the statewide golf tournament to return to the Garden Isle.
The Hawaiʻi Longshore Division continues a strong investment in its steward program with two more rounds of training. HLD stewards completed part three of their training in April and part four in May.
Washington D.C. was abuzz with debate as members of Congress prepared to vote on the 2025 budget reconciliation bill. Local 142’s Titled Officers, the Hawai’i Division Director, and a number of Full-time Officers were in the city for the Washington D.C. legislative update. Though in D.C. for updates on the union pension, the Local 142 delegation had meetings with Hawaiʻi’s congressional representatives to discuss issues of concern to the union, including those impacted by the reconciliation bill.
The ILWU held its Leadership, Education, and Development (LEAD) Institute from April 13-18 in Tacoma, Washington. LEAD is a key component of the ILWU’s education program and is held every three years. It brings together a diverse group of rank-and-file members and elected ILWU leaders to teach them practical skills and provide tools that attendees can bring back to their local unions to develop new leaders and increase membership involvement.
On Wednesday, May 21, Maui Mayor Richard Bissen joined the ILWU Maui Division Executive Board meeting to speak directly with union leadership about a crisis that hits close to home for many working families: the lack of housing. In particular, the Mayor came to provide Maui members with an update on Bill 9, part of the Mayor’s plan to phase out short-term rentals (STRs). This is an issue that the ILWU Local 142 has strongly supported since 2023.
130 Unit Officers recently completed a round of Unit Officer training put on by Local 142. This round of trainings will finish this summer with more rounds possible later this year. This issue of The Voice focuses on the Unit structure covering the training, sharing with readers the fundamental roles within the Unit, and encouraging members to get more involved.
Increasing awareness and growing pride in Hawaiʻi’s labor movement was the goal for this year’s Ea Hawaiʻi Field School - a week-long Maui-based 3-credit class with students from Oʻahu, Maui, and this year, Lānaʻi. The 2025 field school was a collaboration between UH Mānoa, UH Maui College, and for the first time in the program’s ten year history, the Lānaʻi Education Center and the ILWU Local 142. 
The 2025 ILWU Sports Calendar dropped, marking one of the union’s oldest traditions of bringing members together for fun and camaraderie. 
The Hawaiʻi Longshore Division continues a strong investment in its steward program with two more rounds of training. HLD stewards completed part three of their training in April and part four in May. 
Washington D.C. was abuzz with debate as members of Congress prepared to vote on the 2025 budget reconciliation bill. Local 142’s Titled Officers, the Hawai’i Division Director, and a number of Full-time Officers were in the city for the Washington D.C. legislative update. Though in D.C. for updates on the union pension, the Local 142 delegation had meetings with Hawaiʻi’s congressional representatives to discuss issues of concern to the union, including those impacted by the reconciliation bill. 
The ILWU held its Leadership, Education, and Development (LEAD) Institute from April 13-18 in Tacoma, Washington. LEAD is a key component of the ILWU’s education program and is held every three years. It brings together a diverse group of rank-and-file members and elected ILWU leaders to teach them practical skills and provide tools that attendees can bring back to their local unions to develop new leaders and increase membership involvement.
On Wednesday, May 21, Maui Mayor Richard Bissen joined the ILWU Maui Division Executive Board meeting to speak directly with union leadership about a crisis that hits close to home for many working families: the lack of housing. In particular, the Mayor came to provide Maui members with an update on Bill 9, part of the Mayor’s plan to phase out short-term rentals (STRs). This is an issue that the ILWU Local 142 has strongly supported since 2023.
130 Unit Officers recently completed a round of Unit Officer training put on by Local 142. This round of trainings will finish this summer with more rounds possible later this year. This issue of The Voice focuses on the Unit structure covering the training, sharing with readers the fundamental roles within the Unit, and encouraging members to get more involved.