KAHULUI—The closure of Hawaiian Commercial & Sugar Company (HC&S), the last sugar plantation in Hawaii, will have ripple effects throughout the community. The plantation works with a number of businesses on Maui, but none more closely than Kahului Trucking’s Bulk Sugar operation.

The General Election is coming up on Tuesday, November 8. Don’t forget to vote!

Members of the newly formed ILWU Local 100 gather at Local 142’s Hale Hapaiko meeting room.

On a sunny day in July (despite Tropical Storm Darby), Kauai Division held its annual pensioner picnic, which brought together almost 200 pensioners from five ILWU pensioner clubs for food, fun, and fellowship.

Hawaii Longshore Division hosts get-together for members and families

HONOLULU—The ILWU Local 142 Hawaii Longshore Division (HLD) held a Labor Day event at the Keehi Lagoon DAV Hall on Monday, September 9, 2016. The HLD has been rotating its Labor Day activity to different geographical Divisions in order to give all of its members a chance to enjoy a get-together celebrating longshore industry workers, their families, and the pensioners who helped to improve longshore contracts and make waterfront ILWU units strong.

ILWU golf is now a team sport, and the 2016 first place team from Kauai was (left to right) Erwin Ramos, Tyson Moises, Carl Oliver, and Robert Abigania from Unit 3511 - The Grand Hyatt Kauai.

What are all these questions on my ballot?

Consider the dense sections of text that Hawaii voters sometimes see on their general election ballots—the questions on state constitutional amendments or county charter amendments.

How many of us rush through them, guessing what position to take—and how many of us just ignore them all together?

The people we elect into office make decisions that directly affect our lives.

Politics made a difference for ILWU members at Pacific Beach Hotel.

In 2008, Americans elected Democrat Barack Obama as President. As a result, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB)—whose members are presidential appointees—had more members who supported working people. (Under the previous Republican administration, the majority of NLRB members supported business interests.)

U.S. Representative District 1 candidate Colleen Hanabusa spent time with ILWU members’ and employees’ children when she participated in an Oahu Division Executive Board Family Night in 2014. Hanabusa has deep roots in Hawaii and shares the political and social views that have made the ILWU a progressive and forward looking union.

The Coast Longshore Division held its caucus in Panama from April 18-22. The historic meeting demonstrated the strong bonds of solidarity between the newly formed Panama Canal Division of the ILWU and the Longshore Division. The event drew substantial media interest from Panamanian press.