Brothers and Sisters, 

This coming April, after 44 years as an ILWU member, 18 years as a business agent and this short time serving you as president, I will retire. I write to you a message of farewell, my fellow ILWU members, staff and officers.

First, I would like to thank Donna Domingo, our vice president, and all who will work with her. To take over the office and complete the unexpired term will present challenges, but I am confident in Donna and the support she has already started to receive. She will make ILWU history as the first woman serving as president and we are fortunate to have such a strong and dedicated leader stepping up and continuing to modernize this union.

In the last five years, we have faced historic economic, social and political challenges, and disappointments. The public has lost trust in government, banks and corporations. In protest to the growing economic inequality, we have seen the Occupy Wall Street movement take over cities and universities.

We have seen students peppersprayed by college campus police, our veterans beaten and shot in the head with tear gas canisters, our Washington Longshore brothers and sisters arrested for protecting what was promised. The right-wing corporate media machine has created a circus. The right wing has seized this opportunity to paint us union workers as anti-American, anti-business. As a result, many people see labor unions the same way they see corporations and government—that we hold too much influence through our political action.

Isaac Fiesta Jr. (left) addresses members at the ILWU Local 142 Convention in 2009.

President Isaac Fiesta Jr. (right) sign-waving for Colleen Hanabusa during the 2010 election. (L-r) Hawaii Longshore Division Secretary Lynette Mau, International Vice President Hawaii Wesley Furtado, Secretary-Treasurer Guy Fujimura, Vice President Donna Domingo, Fiesta.

But we are different. We don’t represent the 1% through our political action. We are the 99% who will be taking time away from our families and lives to knock on doors, make phone calls and ask for support that will help protect the working people of Hawaii. We make democracy real.

But we are different. We don’t represent the 1% through our political action. We are the 99% who will be taking time away from our families and lives to knock on doors, make phone calls and ask for support that will help protect the working people of Hawaii. We make democracy real.

I thank you for the opportunity you have given me to serve this union. It is my hope that you have found some things worthy of my service. And for the rest, I hope you will find ways to improve for the good of the worker. I was just a kid out of high school, working at Pepeekeo Sugar, when I became a part of the ILWU. I am so grateful to have something mean so much to me, that saying my aloha is this hard.

We are living in revolutionary times. I pray that we stand together, as we have always stood, and demand peaceful progress. That we continue to teach our youth, friends and families about the strength and fairness of collective bargaining. That we support each other and patronize our brothers’ and sisters’ workplaces. That we take on the responsibility of creating a real future for our children. With this, I say to you, aloha.

Communications Director, Mel Chang, retires

Research, Technical Support, Education, Editor, Communications, Publicity, Historian—it’s a challenge to answer, “What does Mel Chang do?” The question is more appropriately asked, “What doesn’t Mel Chang do?”

With a high school education and no formal training in any of these areas, Mel credits the ILWU for giving him the opportunity to learn by doing the job. “I learned to teach by running the union’s education program. I learned journalism and news writing by producing the union’s paper. I learned computer technology when Guy Fujimura told me to buy one computer and learn how to use it in 1985.”

After 38 years as an ILWU member and 30 years of service to this union, Mel Chang retires. He leaves the Local with an irreplaceable archive of effective training guides, research that has and continues to protect the worker and 27 years of VOICE journalism.

With Mel’s departure, Eadie Omonaka will serve as Communications & Education Specialist, Lohe Kaaloa as Computer Technician and Maya Ross as Editor and Researcher. Mel plans to continue his association with the ILWU as a pensioner.

Mahalo for your years of contributions to this union, Mel. From the members, staff and Titled Officers.