Japanese unions have pledged to step up their efforts to boycott the Pacific Beach Hotel and hotel owners, HTH Corporation.
They took this action after hearing from Local 142 Secretary-Treasurer Guy Fujimura and Virginia Recaido, one of the Pacific Beach Hotel union leaders fired by HTH Corporation who owns the Pacific Beach and Pagoda hotels. “The tremendous support from the Japanese unions was amazing and uplifting,” said Fujimura.
Fujimura and Recaido spent five days in Tokyo from July 5 to 10, 2008, meeting with the unions, Japanese travel companies, and officers of the Japan and in Hawaii as Carpenters support boycott Association of Travel Agents (JATA). Zenkowan (Japan dockworkers union) hosted the delegation and the ITF (International Transport Workers Federation) provided translators for all meetings.
The ILWU called for a boycott of HTH after the company sacked 32 workers on December 1, 2007, and refused to recognize the ILWU as the workers’ union. Both actions are serious violations of US labor law and the ILWU has filed a number of complaints with the National Labor Relations Board.
The boycott had to be extended to Japan as the Pacific Beach Hotel draws over 80 percent of their business from Japanese visitors.
On Monday, July 7, Fujimura and Recaido met with officers of the ITF and ITF-JC. Later in the morning, they met with related unions on the boycott campaign then held a press conference in the afternoon. They leafleted near the Tamachi Train Station and joined an evening rally attended by representatives from 100 unions at the Tokyo Transportation Workers Union Hall in Tamachi. The rally was hosted by Rengo, ITF, ITF-JC and IUF-JC. Fujimura thanked the unions for their support.
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and in Hawaii as Carpenters support boycott
Over 300 members of the Hawaii Carpenters Union marched through Waikiki and rallied in front of the Pacific Beach Hotel to demonstrate their support for the workers on July 12, 2008. The Carpenters were holding their Convention at the Sheraton Waikiki.
Tentative longshore agreement on West Coast
As the VOICE went to press, the ILWU announced a tentative contract agreement was reached with longshore employers on the West Coast.
On July 28, the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) and the Pacific Maritime Association (PMA) announced a preliminary agreement on terms for a new six year contract covering more than 26,000 dockworkers at 29 West Coast ports.
The agreement is subject to ratification by the ILWU and PMA membership. The ILWU and PMA have agreed to extend the previous agreement and resume normal port operations.
The proposed agreement is preliminary; it must be carefully evaluated by the rank-and-file, and is subject to a democratic ratification vote by the membership.
The proposed agreement will first be reviewed by elected Longshore Caucus delegates who will meet in San Francisco beginning the week of August 18. If delegates so choose, the proposal will be mailed to the homes of Longshore Division members, with extra copies available at local dispatch halls. An election date will be set for ratification votes by the membership that allows enough time for full consideration, questions, and answers about the proposed agreement.
“The Negotiating Committee did a hell of a job securing this agreement, but they couldn’t have done it without the solidarity and discipline of the rankand-file,” said International President Bob McEllrath. “We want to thank everyone on the docks who made this possible.”
The agreement was reached on July 28, which happens to be the birthday of Harry Bridges, the dockworker who was born in 1901 and rose up from the ranks to lead workers through a series of bloody strikes and confrontations in the 1930’s. Bridges was elected President of the ILWU and served until 1977. When he died in 1990, longshore workers shut the ports out of respect and closed them again when his ashes were scattered at sea.
The democratically elected delegates of the Longshore Caucus will meet in San Francisco beginning August 18 to review the proposed agreement and decide if it should be presented to the full membership for a vote.
The union and employer have agreed not to release details of the settlement until after the August 18 Caucus. Local 142 Hawaii longshore delegates will attend the caucus in San Francisco as observers.
Hawaii Longshore
Hawaii ILWU longshore members are covered by a separate agreement which is patterned after the West Coast.
The talks in Hawaii have focused on work rules covering the various ports and companies. When the tentative settlement is approved on the West Coast, Hawaii can begin negotiating over cost items such as wages, medical and pension.
