Demonstrations were held in every state in the nation on April 4, 2011 to oppose the attacks on workers’ rights to bargain collectively.

“Don’t waste any time mourning. Organize!” These were the last words of union organizer and song writer Joe Hill before he was executed by the State of Utah on November 19, 1915. Hill was a member of the IWW and was in Utah organizing mine workers.

The most comprehensive electorate survey—the American National Election Studies (ANES)—were carried out by the University of Michigan beginning in the late 1940s. What these studies showed was that Americans fall into three categories with regard to their political knowledge. A tiny percentage know a lot about politics, up to 50%-60% know enough to answer very simple questions, and the remaining 40% know next to nothing.

From the year 2000 to 2009 the increase in productivity of U.S. workers was 6 percent, the fourth highest in the world.

Every year the U.S. Department of Labor compares the wages, benefits, and productivity of U.S. workers and workers in countries that do a lot of business and trade with the U.S. See http://www.bls.gov/fls/home. htm#comp

Chart 1 right shows the increase in output per hour for the nine years from 2000 to 2009. Workers in Korea, Taiwan, the Czech Republic, and the United States increased their productivity by 6 percent or better. 

Maui Kaiser Permanente members Kaulana Kaa‘a, Rusty Helm, and Bryan Nakamoto help the ILWU organize new members in the health care industry. The Kaiser members are highly skilled medical diagnostic imaging technicians who do computerized tomography (CT), radiologic (X-ray), and mammography scanning.

Every ILWU member should be taught to see a steward or unit officer first about problems or concerns on the job. They should be advised never to try to settle their problems with management by themselves.

There are four reasons for this: 

1) the member will not have the strength of the union behind them; 
2) the member may make a deal with management that could hurt other members or even be a violation of the contract;

3) the member is not trained to handle the grievance properly and may miss time limits and make other mistakes; and 

Your union contract is a written agreement with your employer. It guarantees your wages, benefits, conditions of employment, and rights. It is enforceable through a grievance procedure and ultimately in a court of law.

If you want more information about your union or union contract; if you have a problem on the job; if you want to become more involved with your union, the first person you should talk to is your union steward or Unit officer.

Unit officers and stewards are elected by the members of your unit to help their fellow union members on the job. They serve as volunteers and receive no extra pay or special privileges. Their names should be posted on the union bulletin board.

ILWU officers and members march in support of workers’ rights in the State of Wisconsin at the Hawaii State Capitol on February 26, 2011. (Front, left to right) Oahu Business Agent Shane Ambrose, Michael Ruiz and Tavita Tufaga from Unit 4415 - Hawaiian Memorial Park, and former unit officer from The Honolulu Advertiser Rick DeCosta.

Four fundamental principles and rights at work 

1) Freedoms of association and collective bargaining. 
2) Elimination of forced and compulsory labor. 
3) Elimination of discrimination in employment and occupation. 
4) Abolition of child labor.