In less than ten months—D-day, Nov. 2, 2004—the future of our country and that of the whole world will be decided. If George W. Bush gets another four years in the White House, if both houses of Congress remain controlled by the Republicans, the labor movement will be facing its biggest crisis since the McCarthy witch hunts of the 1950s.

WASHINGTON, D.C—President George W. Bush told Congress on Feb. 20, 2004, that he intends to sign the so-called Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) put together by his Administration. The trade deal is with the countries of Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua.

HILO—“There is no nobler job than to build this union and help each other.” This message from keynote speaker Ah Quon McElrath sums up the purpose of Hawaii Division’s Annual Unit Recognition Banquet—which honors a group of outstanding ILWU Units that distinguished themselves in their service and dedication to members.

Fred Galdones 
Local President

Safety on the docks may be sacrificed to promote “free” trade and higher profits if the Bush Administration succeeds in implementing new rules to expand the use of Vertical Tandem Lifts (VTL).

WAILUKU, Maui—The 22nd ILWU Men’s Basketball Tournament was held on December 5 and 6, 2003 at the Wailuku Gym. Three teams participated in the tournament, which was sponsored by the ILWU’s Maui Division and run by division sports coordinator Delbert DeRego and ILWU members Douglas and Victoria Cabading, who are both from Unit 2306 - Maui Pineapple Co. (cannery). Also present to assist were Hawaii Division sports coordinators Roy Jardine and Richard Kaniho, and Oahu sports coordinator Brian Tanaka.

Cashiers must be careful when checking I.D.s

It was a busy Saturday afternoon at a Neighbor Island grocery store and a line of customers were waiting impatiently at the checkout counter.

Finally, it was the young man’s turn with the single bottle of beer. The cashier, an ILWU member, asked to see some proof of age. The young man was from outof-state, but he had a local ID. She punched in the birthdate on her cash register, which said the person was old enough. The young man paid for the beer and left the store.

Are you a new employee, hired within the last 12 months?

If so, this issue of the Voice of the ILWU was prepared especially for you. As a union member, you are entitled to many rights and benefits and some responsibilities. This issue will help get you started with the essential information you need as a member of the ILWU. (Even longtime members may find the information useful.)

Higher wages, better benefits, and good working conditions are the most obvious advantages of being organized in a union. Based on the latest government statistics, union workers earn almost $10 an hour MORE in wages and benefits, compared with non-union workers.

The average total compensation package for union workers is valued at $31.64 an hour, while non-union workers trailed far behind at $21.81 an hour.

Believe it or not, most workers organize into unions because of bad working conditions and poor treatment by management and not for higher wages and benefits. When workers are organized into unions, they gain the power to change their working conditions and demand respect and fair treatment from management.