WAILEA — It was the hottest and muggiest weekend of the year, but that did not dampen the spirits of over 40 ILWU members and their families who showed up to play in the ILWU Statewide Golf Tournament on August 31-September 1 at Grand Wailea’s Old Blue Golf Course.
Members from all divisions got to know each other as they competed in teams with people from other units. Teams from an ILWU Longshore Local in Portland and the Hawaii Maritime Council also participated for more union solidarity.
Jennifer Kaaihue, Brenden Kihoi and Fernando Pancho Unit 1503 Mauna Kea Beach Hotel (other members from Unit 1503: Shane Augustin, Michael Dela Cruz).
LABOR DAY is celebrated every year, but for unions, the holiday is cause for even more thoughtful reflection on how much the labor movement has benefited society for all. ILWU Local 142 has several Labor Day celebrations across its divisions.
The Big Island held one in Pahala for its pensioners on August 24; the Hawaii Longshore Division held one at the Kauai ILWU Hall on September 2; Oahu’s members attended the annual Labor Unity Picnic at Waikiki Shell with other Labor Unions; and Kauai Division held their annual Pensioners’ Picnic on September 7.
Members at the caucus Front L-R: Emmanuel Baltazar (Maui Business Agent), Annie Dickinson, Chair (#27 Pupukea), James Villegas (#19 Mililani), Sierra Delgado (#24 Pukalani), Dona Hamabata (#8 Kaneohe), Anabel Cardenas (#18 Dillingham), Ruby Shimabukuro (#1 Market City), Jaslyn Laurito (#8 Kaneohe), Cindy Caravalho (#38 Waimea), Local President Donna Domingo.
On June 18th, over 40 ILWU members, pensioners, and supporters gathered at the Ballantyne memorial at New Brighton Park in Vancouver, BC to commemorate the 84th anniversary of the Battle of Ballantyne Pier and remember the militant history of Vancouver waterfront workers.
Recognizing the First Nations
Joulene Parent from Local 500 opened the event by acknowledging that the event was held on the unceded land of the Squamish, Musqueam, and Tsleil-Waututh peoples.
The top executive officers of ILWU Local 142 are the President, the Vice President, and the Secretary-Treasurer.
In addition to their individual duties, the officers work collectively as a three-person team called the “Titled Officers.” Together they direct and coordinate the work of the union and all other officers. They work out of the Honolulu Office.
It is no exaggeration to say that Hawaii could not function without the work on and near the waterfront. Our brothers and sisters in the Longshore Division have a history in the ILWU defined by exemplary moments of strikes and solidarity.
Hawaii Division’s main union hall is in Hilo at 100 West Lanikaula Street. There is also a smaller Kona office at 74-5565 Luhia Street Kaiwi Square.
Elmer Gorospe, Jennifer Yadao and George Martin work out of the Hilo office and can usually be reached there at 808-935-3727. Michael Dela Cruz, Roselyn Molina, and Tristie Licoan work out of the Kona office and can be reached at 808-329-2070.
Maui Division, which includes the islands of Molokai and Lanai, holds the largest membership with over 7,000 of our 18,000 members.
A large portion of Maui’s membership used to come from sugar. Sugar did not last as a viable industry for Hawaii’s economy, and the state’s last sugar plantation, Maui’s Hawaiian Commercial & Sugar Company (HC&S), closed in 2016.
Oahu Division is located at 451 Atkinson Drive in Honolulu. Oahu is the second largest division of the ILWU Local 142 with close to 5,000 members. Over half of Oahu’s members work in the general trades industrial grouping, with Foodland Super Market being the largest employer.