HONOLULU—On February 26, 2010, Oahu Division suspended the important work of its Division Executive Board meeting take the time to thank and recognize the outstanding rank-and-file leaders who served as the “front line” at ILWU units throughout Oahu in 2009.

Unit treasurers have the responsibility of safeguarding union funds. They must check dues paying members and the company seniority list to make sure all members are paying their share of union dues. The treasurers must also make sure all spending by the unit is authorized by the members of the unit.

ILWU financial policies and federal law require all units to get membership approval before spending unit funds. These funds come from union dues paid by members of the unit.

Vital for survival of HC&S

A return to good cultivation practices has paid off for HC&S. Sugar yields are very high, and every field has produced 2-3 tons more sugar than the goals set by the company. The company should do well this year with the increased production and record high prices of sugar on the U.S. and world market. HC&S members will get a big bonus as their collective bargaining agreement provides for profit sharing.

Over 100 ILWU members at eight Kaiser Permanente clinics approved a new contract settlement. The ILWU represents the medical imaging technicians such as X-ray, CAT Scans, Ultrasound, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

Other Kaiser workers are represented by the Hawaii Nurse’s Association and UniteHERE. The Nurses approved a contract with Kaiser but UniteHERE remains in negotiations with management.

Kaiser is one of the medical plan options offered under many ILWU contracts and with the ILWU Health and Welfare Trust Fund.

From the very beginning, the ILWU has always proclaimed that the union and every union member must be actively involved in the political life of the community. Political action had to be one of the primary activities of the union. Political action was just as important as negotiating contracts for better wages and benefits; and political action was just as necessary as organizing new workers into the union.

There are five reasons why the union and every ILWU member must be involved in political action.

Union members earn higher wages

In 2009, among full-time wage and salary workers, union members earned a median weekly wage of $908, while workers who were not represented by unions earned only $710 a week.

In 2009, among full-time wage and salary workers, union members earned a median weekly wage of $908, while workers who were not represented by unions earned only $710 a week.

A very important benefit of union membership goes far beyond your job. You are now a member of a workers’ organization—dedicated to defend your interests as a worker and to promote the general welfare of you and your family.

This is spelled out in the ILWU Declaration of Principles:

“An injury to one is an injury to all”—this slogan is used at many ILWU activities. This means we stand together as workers.

As a member of the ILWU, you belong to an organization with a long and proud history in Hawaii, the West Coast, and Canada. The ILWU is respected and admired within the labor movement in the US and around the world. Community and political leaders appreciate how the ILWU improved the lives of the entire community. Employers respect the ILWU as a strong, yet reasonable union.

These two pages of the VOICE reprints parts of a booklet made for hotel workers union in the Philippines by the International Union of Food and Allied Workers’ Associations (IUF). The principles expressed in the booklet are identical to those of the ILWU. This tells us that workers and unions have the same goals no matter what country they live in.

Contract negotiations is a good example of ILWU democracy in action. Unit members meet to propose changes to their union contract and elect members to their negotiating committee. The union negotiating committee should include members from different departments and job classifications. While committee members may come from different departments or jobs, they should work for a contract that is best for the entire membership.