The newly formed Hawaii Longshore Division elected their statewide officers in balloting at all longshore units on all islands from December 1 to December 11, 2009.
The results were announced on December 14, 2009. Nathan “Nate” Lum was elected division director, William “Baba” Haole and Henry Kreutz were elected as vice division directors, and Charles Kimo Brown was elected secretary-treasurer.
Two full-time committeemen/ business agents were elected— Dennis Morton and Tyrone Tahara.
On Martin Luther King Day, January 18, 2010, Americans are urged to spend the holiday in a day of service to their community. On Oahu, the ILWU marched in a parade through Waikiki with a message of peace and justice.
After 120 years of growing sugar on Kauai, the Gay & Robinson Company hauled its last load of sugar cane from the fields to the mill on October 30, 2009. The cane haul trucks paraded from the Makaweli Post Office through the town of Waimea, followed by trucks and cars of employees.
About 130 ILWU members remained on the payroll until November 25, 2009.
A handful of ILWU members will continue to work for Gay & Robinson, producing electricity at the company’s hydroelectric plant.
A new company, the Haliimaile Pineapple Co., will continue to grow pineapple to supply the fresh, whole-fruit market and supply juice used by Tedeschi Vineyards to make its pineapple wine.
The new company has purchased some of Maui Pine’s equipment, leased 1,000 acres of land, and bought the rights to use the Maui Gold brand.
The company was formed by former Maui Pineapple Company executives, Ulupalakua Ranch owner Pardee Erdman, and other shareholders.
Westin Maui Hotel member Vicky Maliikapu-Cabading prints a bulletin for union members and maintains an outstanding union bulletin board which educates and informs members about the union. Star Medeiros is the Chair of the unit, which has a strong unit structure with active officers and union stewards, including 1st Vice Chair Michael Bunyard, 2nd Vice Chair Jerome
On January 16, 2009, important new rules on the Family Medical Leave Act went into effect. Following are some of the changes:
• Employees will have to follow their employer’s call-in policies when they are planning to miss work “absent unusual circumstances.” Previously, employees had up to two business days after an absence to notify the company that their absence was due to family leave.
The ILWU Local 142 Political Action Committee has endorsed Mazie Hirono for the U.S. Senate, Colleen Hanabusa for the U.S. House of Representatives First Congressional District, and Mufi Hannemann for the U.S. House of Representatives Second Congressional District in 2012. Senator Dan Inouye’s term runs until 2016 and he already has the full support and endorsement of the ILWU.
ILWU Local 21 members are continuing their fight for fairness at the EGT grain terminal in Longview, Washington, where the high-stakes struggle continues to generate some dramatic twists and turns. “The fight for justice in Longview involves a lot more than just our little town it’s about corporate greed and the future of America’s middle class,” said ILWU Local 21 President Dan Coffman.
Along with this ownership of wealth comes control and influence over the political system. While the wealth of the one percent has grown, the conditions for the vast majority of people have worsened, with more people unemployed, living in poverty, carrying greater debt, and struggling to make a living.
