(Above left) The ILWU gave away 1,500 hot dogs at the Oahu Labor Day Unity Picnic at the Waikiki Shell on September 4, 2011. (Above right) Kauai members celebrated Labor Day with a fishing tournament and get-together on September 11, 2011 (l-r) Clayton Silva, retired Business Agent Jesus Guirao, and retired Division Director Clayton Dela Cruz.

The boycott against HTH and the Pacific Beach Hotel continues with strong support from Japanese unions. International Vice-President Hawaii Wesley Furtado and Local 142 Secretary-Treasurer Guy Fujimura went to Japan from September 6-10, 2011, to attend the National Convention of Zenkowan and rallies arranged by the Japan supporters of the Pacific Beach Hotel boycott campaign. One rally was attended by 94 leaders from various Japan unions. They showed video recordings of some of the Pacific Beach Hotel workers thanking the Japanese unions for their support.

The National Federation of Dockworkers’ Unions of Japan (Zenkoku-Kowan) presented this report to update supporters and donors on the relief and reconstruction efforts by Japanese dock workers.

Our country has been badly affected by the big earthquake and tsunami on March 11 and subsequent nuclear accidents at the Fukushima nuclear power plant.

There is a wide-spread belief that the United States is a democratic, free, and fair country. Most Americans also mistakenly believe that these rights, spelled out in the U.S. Constitution, also protects them on the job. They are mistaken because these Constitutional rights only apply to government and does not apply to private employers at their place of business.

“Worker involvement in company decision-making strengthens a democratic, social and competitive Europe,” this is the main conclusion of the worker-participation website run by the European Trade Union Instititute. The following information comes from their website.

Forbes Magazine has compiled a list of the world’s billionaires for the last 25 years. Their list for 2011 contained 1,210 people from 55 countries. The United States had the largest number of billionaires with 413; followed by China with 115 (this does not include 36 billionaires from Hong Kong). Russia came in third place with 101 billionaires, followed by India with 55 and Germany with 52.

ILWU members held signs and marched showing their support of the wind power project on Lanai during a Public Utilities Commission visit to the island for the review of the Young Brothers freight increase on July 26. Over 200 members urged the PUC to put the wind project on their agenda.

Posing with their son Clyde Silva, an officer of the Pahala ILWU Pensioners Club, are the Big Island’s longest married couple, Mr. and Mrs. George Silva. They were married October 25, 1947 and are also members of the Pahala Club. The Labor Day Pensioners Picnic was held at ILWU Hilo Hall on August 27, 2011. The retirees enjoyed live entertainment, games, raffles, dancing and a box lunch.

National Labor Relations Board orders HTH management to obey the law.

ILWUrank-and-filemembers fromtheHonoluluStar-Advertiser, ILWULocalExecutiveBoardmembers andsupporters fromthe30thWesternRegionalSummerInstitute forUnionWomenralliedonJune 17,2011tocallforHTHmanagement to stop the delays and injustices to workers of the Pacific Beach Hotel.

The 2011 Session of Hawaii’s State Legislature was preoccupied with trimming $1.2 billion from the cost of operating the state’s government, but a number of important laws were passed which will benefit workers.