LIHUE—With today’s hustle and bustle, we often forget to praise and thank the people who do so much for their communities. This is true of the many unit officers and stewards who volunteer their time to help their fellow workers and serve the union.
Kauai Division made it a point by giving special recognition to those outstanding individuals at their annual recognition banquet held at the Kauai ILWU Union Hall in Lihue on December 18, 2015.
The 5th Annual Recognition Banquet brought together a mix of active members, their families, pensioners and guests for a night of good food and fellowship and the presentation of awards to those unit leaders who make the union’s programs a success.
The recognition banquet was very bittersweet because it will be the last meeting that retiring Kauai Division Director Michael Machado will be attending as an active member. Machado thanked those in attendance for remembering and appreciating his years of service with the union. Though Machado will be retiring, he said that he will remain active by joining an ILWU pensioner club.
And the award goes to:
And the award goes to: The Outstanding Unit Leader of the Year with 1-30 Members award went to Dennis Lagmay of Unit 3419 - A&B Fleet Services, Kauai. Gwendolyn Wenio of Unit 3401 - Kauai Coffee Co., was recognized as the Outstanding Unit Leader of the Year with 31-99 Members. The Outstanding Unit Leader of the Year with 100+ Members award went to Valerie Winchester of Unit 3410 - Wilcox Memorial Hospital.
Unit leaders from Unit 3511 - Grand Hyatt Kauai received The Inspirational Leader of the Year awards. There were (Female) Rhonda Morris and (Male) Tyson Moises.
The Outstanding Leader of the Year award went to Evelyn Javillonar of Unit 3516 - The Point @ Poipu. These exceptional ILWU members deserve all the thanks and support that we can give them. Congratulations!
Inspirational Leader of the Year (male) Tyson Moises with Michael Machado.
Rhonda Morris, Inspirational Leader of the Year (female).
Outstanding Unit Leader 31-99 Members Gwendolyn Wenio holding a future ILWU member with retiring Division Director Michael Machado.
Outstanding Leader Evelyn Javillonar.
Valerie Winchester, Outstanding Unit Leader, Unit with 100+ members.
Look for more unit recognition award winners from other Divisions in the March/April issue of the VOICE of the ILWU
ILWU VEBA Trust reaches 10-year mark
The ILWU VEBA Trust is now 10 years old—which means that eligible ILWU members may now begin to receive benefits.
What is the ILWU VEBA Trust?
VEBA stands for Voluntary Employees Beneficiary Association. Unlike TaftHartley Trust Funds, where contributions are made by employers, VEBA contributions are made by employees or, in this case, by participating ILWU units for their members. The purpose of the ILWU VEBA Trust is to accumulate funds that will earn interest, be set aside for individual members, and provide for medical benefits upon the member’s retirement.
The ILWU VEBA Trust was initiated by convention action in 2003 when delegates sought a way to provide for retiree medical benefits. After a round of meetings statewide, a sufficient number of units voted to participate in the VEBA Trust, which began collecting unit contributions for members in 2005.
How much is contributed?
The original intent was for units to contribute for their members sufficient amounts of money to allow the Trust to offer substantial benefits at retirement. However, the Local Convention voted for $3 per month in contributions, which limited the amount of available benefits. Although individual members may make Supplemental Contributions, very few members have.
Members who leave participating units may pay the required contributions on their own to continue their participation in the ILWU VEBA Trust, but if they fail to make the required contributions, their accounts may be forfeited.
What are the benefits of the ILWU VEBA Trust and when are they payable?
Monies in an individual’s ILWU VEBA Trust account may be used only for retiree medical costs, such as to help pay for Medicare Part B or Part D premiums, for Medicare Advantage plan premiums, or for COBRA premiums upon retirement. To be eligible for benefits to be paid, a member must have at least 10 years of required contributions (i.e., $3 per month) made to the ILWU VEBA Trust, be retired, be at least 62 years of age, have made required contributions for at least 12 months during the three-year period prior to applying for benefits, and apply for the benefits.
If you are eligible to withdraw monies from your VEBA account, contact Pacific Administrators, Inc. in Honolulu at 441-8600 or from the neighbor islands at 888-256-3573 (toll-free).
How can my benefits from the ILWU VEBA Trust be increased?
With contributions of $3 a month and 10 years of vesting, benefit payments will be limited. Even earnings from investments are limited and were especially so during the recession. Yet there are still ways to increase benefits.
For one, participating units may consider increasing their monthly contributions from $3 to any amount they choose. For another, individuals in participating units may make Supplemental Contributions of any amount at any time.
For more information, contact Pacific Administrators, Inc. at (808) 441-8600 or your Business Agent at:
Hawaii Division - 935-3727
Maui Division - 244-9191
Kauai Division - 245-3374
Oahu Division - 949-4161