That is why the ILWU International and our Longshore Division have emphasized education over the last several years. The 1994 International Convention and the 1997 Longshore Caucus put programs in place that have proven popular and effective, and both the ILWU International Convention and the Longshore Caucus budgeted funds in 2003 to expand them.

HONOLULU—Before Hawaii Local 142 did its training, Alex Torres thought organizing was for professionals. “I always thought it was only the organizing department that does organizing,” said Torres, who works at the Dole Plantation Store on Oahu and helped bring it into Local 142. “Here I learned that it’s about everyone getting involved,” he said.

The 2004 Legislature passed a number of good bills that bring real and substantial benefit to working families. However, a look at the voting records on eight issues supported by the ILWU reveals a big difference in how Republicans and Democrats in the State Legislature look at these worker friendly programs.

The voting record on these eight issues shows a clear difference between Democrats and Republicans on issues important to working people.

Presently, ILWU contracts require each hotel to provide medical and dental plans for qualified full-time and part-time employees and their dependents. This means that each hotel must purchase these plans from HMSA, Kaiser, or one of the other insurance providers.

Recently, a beverage worker at an ILWU hotel on the Big Island was denied a bank after the hotel received a bad credit report on that employee. The hotel said it was corporate policy to run credit checks on all employees applying for jobs which required handling money. Workers who fail the credit check don’t get hired or risk losing their current jobs.

Political action in Local 142 is on fire and getting hotter everyday. The primary election is on September 18 and there are only a few weeks before the November 2 General Election.

Each of the four island Divisions of Local 142—Hawaii, Maui, Kauai, and Oahu—are already hard at work registering members to vote and educating members on the issues. As the election gets closer, the work will shift to actively supporting those candidates endorsed by the union and getting members to vote at the polls or by absentee ballot.

WAILEA, Maui—”No need worry about job security!” This was the most frequent comment heard as Grand Wailea members voted to approve a new labor agreement at membership meetings held throughout the day on May 21, 2004.

It is a privilege and an honor for me to be here as the newly elected president of ILWU Local 142 and to be talking to such an important and distinguished group of people like yourselves. I say “important and distinguished” because you are the ones who really deserve the credit for building this union and for making Hawaii a better place.

The ILWU Local 142 is proud to join over 20 unions in endorsing and supporting Mufi Hannemann for Mayor of the City and County of Honolulu.