The entire week of classes ended on Friday February 2, 2018. Members stuck to a rigorous schedule with core workshops in the morning and workshops in the afternoon, and even evening plenary sessions some nights. As a final moment together, they spontaneously started to sing moving labor songs and Hawaii Aloha to honor their time together and remember the importance of solidarity.
Instructor Stephen Lerner wears his ILWU shirt with pride as instructor Marilyn Sneiderman holds his jacket.
Classes in session
Every member participated in one “core class,” a class that met every day in the morning for the entire week. In the afternoon, members could choose between workshops that changed daily.
Members left the Labor Institute week on a high, but the real test of the success of these events lies in the aftermath. Will the enthusiasm from the classes and camaraderie be hard to sustain in the day-to-day at the workplace?
Our members did not disappoint. They are applying the ideas they learned at the institute and show here that they have ingenuity to spare and passion to share.
Our union braddahs from Budweiser
Todd Sismar and Robert “Bobby” Hew-Len are from a freshly unionized unit -- Unit 4404 Anheuser-Busch Sales of Hawaii.
Ready, set, VOTE!
If you have participated in Local elections in the past, you may remember on-site voting, where members would vote at their worksite.
This year, the union is using mail balloting instead. This method will increase members’ access to voting because they can vote by mail any time, any day, and any place.
HONOLULU — Over 130 attendees of the Labor Institute flanked Congresswoman Colleen Hanabusa as ILWU announced their official early endorsement of her candidacy for governor on February 1, 2018. “We know that Colleen understands the hopes and needs of the workers of Hawaii,” said Local President Donna Domingo, pictured above.
In 1935, President Franklin Roosevelt signed the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) that legalized the right of workers to form unions, negotiate contracts and conduct job actions. It also recognized the importance of “union shops” where all workers shared the cost of maintaining their union. The President made a point of signing the NLRA (also known as the Wagner Act) in the port city of Tacoma, on July 5. That date, recognized then and now as “Bloody Thursday,” honored waterfront workers killed during the West Coast waterfront strike that gave rise to today’s ILWU.
HONOLULU — Every year in January, ILWU Local 142 brings a delegation of members and pensioners from every division to the State Capitol on the first day the Legislature convenes or “Opening Day.” ILWU members work in nearly every industry, so one could easily say that the concerns of our members are the concerns of the whole state of Hawaii. On January 17, 2018, members from different units visited legislators from their communities to remind them that the choices they make impact working people everywhere.
HONOLULU — The 9th Labor Institute transformed the quiet halls on Atkinson Drive into a bright launching pad for the week of January 29 - February 2, 2018, thanks to the 136 members across all divisions who showed up to learn and grow as union leaders.
“Who thinks workers get a fair share of the profits they create?” asked instructor Stephen Lerner right off the bat.
“Who can just hear their boss saying, ‘I wish unions like ILWU would just disappear, so then I could do whatever I want!’?” continued Lerner.
LIHUE — On December 15, 2017, Kauai Division held its recognition night to honor members who promote union solidarity at the workplace. Here are this year’s winners:
Outstanding Unit Leaders
Outstanding unit leader with 0-30 members: Bernard Almarza Unit 4402 Love’s Bakery.
Outstanding unit leader with 31-99 members: Ricky Brun Unit 3514 Hokuala Golf Club.
Outstanding unit leader with 100+ members: Kyle Cloos, an electrician at Unit 3401 Kauai Coffee Company.
“In a real sense, all life is interrelated. The agony of the poor impoverishes the rich; the betterment of the poor enriches the rich...Whatever affects one affects all.”
-- Dr. King, Where Do We Go from Here? 1967