Believe it or not, most workers organize into unions because of bad working conditions and poor treatment by management and not for higher wages and benefits. When workers are organized into unions, they gain the power to change their working conditions and demand respect and fair treatment from management.

The King holiday is unique in that it brings together people of all nationalities and faiths to do something to make the world a better place. This year’s theme, “Remember! Celebrate! Act! A Day On, Not A Day Off!!”, urged Americans to use the holiday as a day of service to humanity.

Your union contract is a written agreement with your employer. It defines your wages, benefits, conditions of employment, and rights on the job. It is enforceable through a grievance procedure and ultimately in a court of law.

Most union contracts are renegotiated every three years, although some contracts run for only one year and others run for as long as six years. How long the contract runs is up to you and your negotiating committee. The ILWU is a democratic union and members are involved in every step of the negotiation process.

at-will—When workers do not have union representation, they are considered to be “at-will” employees, who may be fired at any time—and for no reason.

Twelve priorities top the list of the ILWU’s Political Program for the 2007 Hawaii State Legislature. The full program contains over 94 points.

On December 14, 2006, Pacific Beach Hotel union negotiating committee members presented a petition to Outrigger CEO David Carey asking that new management company Outrigger “honor all that we have already achieved in our on-going union negotiations.” L-r: Rhandy Villanueva, Virginia Recaido, Kapena Kanaiaupuni, Lerma Ulep, Darryl Miyashiro, Carey, and union spokesperson Dave Mori.

The Constitution may be amended by a two-thirds vote of the Local Executive Board, subject to the approval of the majority vote of all ILWU members voting at Unit membership meetings.

At its December 14-15, 2006, meeting, the Local Executive Board approved a change in the Constitution that makes it clear that the Judicial Panel itself shall choose from its alternate members to hear cases which come out of a Division (Hawaii, Maui, Kauai, or Oahu) or when its regular members are disqualified from hearing any particular case.

For the last 12 years, Congressional Democrats have been stuck in the political wilderness as the minority party. The Republicans marched in lockstep with George W. Bush and shut out the Democrats from offering an alternative agenda on the floor of the House of Representatives. The 2006 election in which the Democrats took back the House and Senate was a repudiation of Bush’s and the lockstep Republican Congress’ agenda.

The 24th Convention heard and approved nine reports which detail the work of the union. The Convention also received a report from the ILWU Memorial Association and from the Housing Program.

Report of the Local Officers (OR-1) 
This is a report from the three Titled Officers (president, vice-president, and secretary-treasurer) which gives an overview of the economic and political conditions faced by the union and describes the major activities and programs of Local 142 in the last three years.

The 24th Convention of the ILWU Local 142 adopted the following resolution to honor the contributions and accomplishments of the Filipino sakada in Hawaii. Many of the sakada were ILWU members.