President Obama’s economic recovery program will help working people in many ways.

Many ILWU members pay little attention to the sick leave benefits provided by their union negotiated contract. They get sick, and they get paid sick leave benefits. When they get well, they return to work. Most members know they earn a certain number of sick days every year, and unused sick leave may be “banked” or accumulated and used in the future if needed.

Consider yourself lucky, because half of the blue collar workers like yourself in private industry do not have paid sick leave benefits.

One out of every three American workers do not have paid sick leave. This is a little over 50 million workers. If these workers get sick and stay home, they receive no pay.

Many will continue to work when they’re sick, and spread their illness to fellow workers and customers.

Are you a tipping category hotel worker? Do you want to increase your tipping income by 10 to 30 percent? 

Yes? Then read Michael Lynn’s “Mega Tips: Scientifically Tested Techniques to Increase Your Tips.” Lynn explains 14 methods that are proven to increase your tips.

 Prof. Lynn’s has given us permission to reprint a few of his tips in each issue of the Voice of the ILWU.

To encourage more membership attendance, Oahu Division has turned their monthly executive board meetings into an event that features a productive meeting, education, food, and fellowship.

The evening starts at 6:00 pm every fourth Friday with dinner, which is hosted by a different unit each month. The March meeting will be hosted by the Hawaii Logistics unit, the April meeting will be hosted by the Love’s Bakery unit, the May meeting by the Pepsi unit, and so on.

Unit Chairpersons recognized for outstanding service in 2008 were Francis Kamakaokalani of Unit 2406 - Ameron (left) and Flora Vila of Unit 2509 - Four Seasons Lanai Resort (right).

Ten days after taking office, President Barack Obama signed three executive orders that recognize a strong labor movement is part of the solution to our economic problems. Obama reversed some of the anti-union policies made by George W. Bush. A fourth executive order creates a White House Task Force for the Middle Class.

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.

As a member of the ILWU Local 142, you are part of a long and proud tradition where workers join or form organizations for their mutual benefit and to promote fairness and justice on the job. These organizations are called unions.

In Hawaii one out of every four workers are members of a labor union. There are 21,000 ILWU members on all major islands in Hawaii, which make the ILWU one of the largest unions in the state. ILWU members work in every major industry including: tourism, longshore, sugar, pineapple, manufacturing, transportation, and healthcare.

If you’ve been temporarily laid off, are working fewer hours, or lost your job, you will probably be forced to change your life style and be prepared to live with less income for the next six months or even longer. The economy may pick up later this year, or it may take longer before we recover from this recession. There is a lot you can do to help you and your family survive tough economic times.