The Priscilla Shishido Library is housed at the Honolulu Hall and holds business
and historical archives for the ILWU Local 142. It is under the management
of Rae Shiraki, who has served as Local 142’s Archivist-Librarian since 2000.
Cecilia “Ceci” Calpito assists her.
Established in the 1950s, the library evolved from the union’s central filing room to an entire library and archive. The library’s primary function is to provide administrative records, including past contracts, negotiations, and arbitrations. Another function of the library is to provide
Established in the 1950s, the library evolved from the union’s central filing room to an entire library and archive. The library’s primary function is to provide administrative records, including past contracts, negotiations, and arbitrations. Another function of the library is to provide
historical materials from before the industry locals consolidated into Local
142 to contemporary times.
Priscilla Yadao Shishido was the union’s first librarian. She was the daughter of Emilio Yadao, the Filipino Communications Director for the Local during the plantation era. Shortly after she passed, a convention resolution named the library after her.
But time faded the memory of this action to honor her. During the 2001 renovation, Shoji Okizaki, the Local’s office manag
Priscilla Yadao Shishido was the union’s first librarian. She was the daughter of Emilio Yadao, the Filipino Communications Director for the Local during the plantation era. Shortly after she passed, a convention resolution named the library after her.
But time faded the memory of this action to honor her. During the 2001 renovation, Shoji Okizaki, the Local’s office manag
er, recalled that a resolution was passed to name the library after Shishido. He
looked in the library and found the resolution. The formal name was then
put on the entrance of the library.
Many people use the library for a number of reasons. From rank-and-file members to full-time officers and staff to prolific authors and scholars, the ILWU Local 142 library holds a wealth of important information that clarifies the past and guides the union’s future and sometimes even Hawaiʻi. Similar to the Hawaiʻi State Archive
Many people use the library for a number of reasons. From rank-and-file members to full-time officers and staff to prolific authors and scholars, the ILWU Local 142 library holds a wealth of important information that clarifies the past and guides the union’s future and sometimes even Hawaiʻi. Similar to the Hawaiʻi State Archive
or a special collection at the University of Hawaiʻi Library, those wishing to
access materials from the library need to make a request. Typically, members
would go through their Division if they want to review materials.
While the Local 142 library is open to members, distance and the simple need to access it will prevent most members from using it. We wanted to share with members across the islands some of the important ways the library and archives serve members and the larger community.
While the Local 142 library is open to members, distance and the simple need to access it will prevent most members from using it. We wanted to share with members across the islands some of the important ways the library and archives serve members and the larger community.
Rae Shiraki Archivist-Librarian, ILWU Local 142
Tyrone Tahara, Business Agent Hawaii Longshore Division
Ron Clough Organizer, ILWU Local 142
Ilima Long Editor, Education ILWU Local 142
“We need to do more to put forth the contributions of the ILWU to its members’ lives and to Hawaiʻi. And that’s what we have in the library.”
“All the ammunition you need for grievances is in the library. You just gotta look for it”
Rae Shiraki has seen a lot of people come through the library. She and
Ceci assist Full Time Officers, staff, members, and the community in finding
a range of materials. Rae notes that there’s such a wide range of materials
in the library - materials that are of interest to everyone from Business
Agents to community artists.
“You can write histories and novels, find inspiration for artwork, and do all of the important union work in our library,” said Rae. But these things usually come together through research.
“It’s like doing detective work sometimes - like archeology. One document gives you information that leads you to look for additional information, and so on. It’s really up to the staff or the researcher to pull the materials together and make meaning of it.”
When asked to share one important thing that the library holds for both members and the larger population alike, Rae noted the importance of union history in the plantations.
“A lot of the time when people talk about the plantations, there’s a sort of romanticization of things with no mention of the union. We need to do more to put forth the union’s contributions to their lives and Hawaiʻi. And that’s what we have in the library.”
Rae is currently working to prepare the library for renovations. She also supports the ILWU undergraduate interns and provides staff and members with countless materials for their research needs.
“You can write histories and novels, find inspiration for artwork, and do all of the important union work in our library,” said Rae. But these things usually come together through research.
“It’s like doing detective work sometimes - like archeology. One document gives you information that leads you to look for additional information, and so on. It’s really up to the staff or the researcher to pull the materials together and make meaning of it.”
When asked to share one important thing that the library holds for both members and the larger population alike, Rae noted the importance of union history in the plantations.
“A lot of the time when people talk about the plantations, there’s a sort of romanticization of things with no mention of the union. We need to do more to put forth the union’s contributions to their lives and Hawaiʻi. And that’s what we have in the library.”
Rae is currently working to prepare the library for renovations. She also supports the ILWU undergraduate interns and provides staff and members with countless materials for their research needs.
Tyrone Tahara is a Business Agent for the Hawaiʻi Longshore division. You’ll
often find him pouring over papers and folders in the library. When asked what
he spends most of his time looking for, he answers, “intent of language.”
When Tyrone is working on a grievance, the employer often raises the intent of specific contract language. This is when Tyrone hits the library searching through notes from negotiation discussions in order to understand what the intent of the language in question actually was.
“All the ammunition is in the library. You just gotta look for it,” says Tahara. “For every grievance, you need a pistol. What bullets are in there [the library] to fire at the company? That’s what I have to find.”
But the archives don’t lie; sometimes you don’t find what you hope for. “Sometimes you need some major ammunition, but all you have are bb’s,” he explains.
Tyrone also spends time in the library researching contract history for member education. Last year, through extensive library research, he prepared a history of the Young Brothers’ contract to share with YB members.
“We have to make sure that every generation understands that what they get from their employer was fought for by the union. It doesn’t come out of the goodness of the employer’s heart.”
When Tyrone is working on a grievance, the employer often raises the intent of specific contract language. This is when Tyrone hits the library searching through notes from negotiation discussions in order to understand what the intent of the language in question actually was.
“All the ammunition is in the library. You just gotta look for it,” says Tahara. “For every grievance, you need a pistol. What bullets are in there [the library] to fire at the company? That’s what I have to find.”
But the archives don’t lie; sometimes you don’t find what you hope for. “Sometimes you need some major ammunition, but all you have are bb’s,” he explains.
Tyrone also spends time in the library researching contract history for member education. Last year, through extensive library research, he prepared a history of the Young Brothers’ contract to share with YB members.
“We have to make sure that every generation understands that what they get from their employer was fought for by the union. It doesn’t come out of the goodness of the employer’s heart.”
Ron Clough is a twenty year organizer with Local 142. He focuses on one of
the ILWU’s most important guiding principles - to organize the unorganized.
But Clough also helps negotiate contracts and provides support to
members in a number of other ways.
“The library is a valuable resource for the Organizing Department and I am grateful for the dedication of Rae in preserving the historical documents for of ILWU local 142. Rae and Cici always answer the call and the time consuming task of locating files and information that we request to provide us a factual understanding of what transpired in the past.”
“For use in existing units for mobilizing we can find out the year it was organized and the history of previous contract campaigns so that we can provide accurate information in
communications with workers the public and even information that may be useful to attorneys for NLRB or HLRB cases.”
But Ron emphasizes the reciprocal relationship between the library and the full time officers and staff.
“One important thing we all must keep in mind as leaders is that it is our responsibility to provide important information to the library so that someday the information that we provide will be there for future leaders to use to continue to make Local 142 prosper.”
Ron drives home the important point that staff and members need to submit important documents to the library so that the record exists for the future.
“The library is a valuable resource for the Organizing Department and I am grateful for the dedication of Rae in preserving the historical documents for of ILWU local 142. Rae and Cici always answer the call and the time consuming task of locating files and information that we request to provide us a factual understanding of what transpired in the past.”
“For use in existing units for mobilizing we can find out the year it was organized and the history of previous contract campaigns so that we can provide accurate information in
communications with workers the public and even information that may be useful to attorneys for NLRB or HLRB cases.”
But Ron emphasizes the reciprocal relationship between the library and the full time officers and staff.
“One important thing we all must keep in mind as leaders is that it is our responsibility to provide important information to the library so that someday the information that we provide will be there for future leaders to use to continue to make Local 142 prosper.”
Ron drives home the important point that staff and members need to submit important documents to the library so that the record exists for the future.
Ilima Long is the primary writer for The Voice, oversees the Education program
and supports mobilizing. The library is a critical resource for all aspects of her work.
“One of the first things I was told to do when I started working here was to go to the library and read through the issues of The Voice of the ILWU during Jack Hall’s time. This would help me understand how the paper was used at a time of great union strength and if it’s any different from now.”
What Ilima found was eye-opening and helped her set a vision for The Voice today. “The paper used to be really scrappy. You can see that Jack Hall used it to drive home political education on the fights the union members were having with their employers at that moment. Going through the archived issues helped me see that the paper really is the primary way the union speaks to its members.”
The records in the library are currently helping the mobilization team to understand the union’s stewards program better.
“We’re going crazy combing through the constitution to see how many stewards each unit is supposed to have and we just can’t find it. So we ask Rae and she pulls a bunch of historical documents that focused on building out the stewards program and there it is. Now we know how many stewards the unit is supposed to have and we now have a roadmap for our internal orgnanizing and mobilizing.”
Ilima notes that the ILWU undergraduate interns, while helping Rae with projects, have also researched the union’s big role in the development of affordable housing in Hawai’i and even it’s involvement in the protect Kahoʻolawe movement.
“One of the first things I was told to do when I started working here was to go to the library and read through the issues of The Voice of the ILWU during Jack Hall’s time. This would help me understand how the paper was used at a time of great union strength and if it’s any different from now.”
What Ilima found was eye-opening and helped her set a vision for The Voice today. “The paper used to be really scrappy. You can see that Jack Hall used it to drive home political education on the fights the union members were having with their employers at that moment. Going through the archived issues helped me see that the paper really is the primary way the union speaks to its members.”
The records in the library are currently helping the mobilization team to understand the union’s stewards program better.
“We’re going crazy combing through the constitution to see how many stewards each unit is supposed to have and we just can’t find it. So we ask Rae and she pulls a bunch of historical documents that focused on building out the stewards program and there it is. Now we know how many stewards the unit is supposed to have and we now have a roadmap for our internal orgnanizing and mobilizing.”
Ilima notes that the ILWU undergraduate interns, while helping Rae with projects, have also researched the union’s big role in the development of affordable housing in Hawai’i and even it’s involvement in the protect Kahoʻolawe movement.