Politics is vitally important to working people, but a lot of ILWU members know very little about the union’s political action program. Many don’t vote. And if they do vote, they may not be voting for candidates endorsed by our union.

There are some very, very important races in this upcoming election, and we need to make an extra effort to reach out to these members. This is where we need your help. We need you to talk to our new and younger members. Get them to understand the importance of political action, get them involved, and get them to vote. 

We need them to vote for Daniel Akaka.

Ed Case is running to defeat Senator Akaka in the Primary Election this September 23. Case says he is doing this because Hawaii should prepare for the next generation.

There are some people who might think this is a good idea, that it is time for a change. Some of those voters may be our members. It would be a terrible mistake and a terrible loss for Hawaii and the labor movement if Akaka were to be defeated by Case. Senator Akaka has always been one of our strongest and most reliable supporter on nearly every issue important to the ILWU. Ed Case, on the other hand, has the worst record of the Hawaii delegation and opposes the ILWU on many issues.

Special election 
Ed Case was elected to the US House of Representatives in 2003, when a very good friend of the ILWU, Patsy Mink, died of viral pneumonia. Case, running as a Democrat, won the special election to serve out her remaining term. In that election, the ILWU supported Matt Matsunaga.

In the regular election of 2004, Ed Case was re-elected to the US House after beating Republican Mike Gabbard. The ILWU did not support Case, because of his stand on some critical issues important to our members. In particular, Case introduced a bill in the US House of Representatives that would allow foreign shipping companies to move cargo between Hawaii and the Mainland. Right now, a law called the Jones Act only allows American ships, operating under US law, to move cargo between US ports. The main purpose of the Jones Act is to guarantee Hawaii would always have stable and secure shipping, particularly in times of war or international conflict. We would not have this security if Hawaii had to depend on foreign owned ships.

Ed Case was not thinking about national security or what would be best for Hawaii in the long-term. He was thinking that foreign ships would compete against Matson and lead to cheaper shipping costs. He wasn’t thinking of how costs would increase after Matson is driven out of business and foreign companies are in control.

Voting record The labor movement, through the AFL-CIO, keeps voting scores on important issues that affect working families. In the last three years, Neil Abercrombie scored 100%, 93%, and 100% in support of labor issues. The 93% was the result of one vote in favor of a manufacturing tax credit that the AFL-CIO opposed.

Senator Dan Inouye scored 100%, 100% and 94%. The 94% came from Inouye’s vote on one bill that favored credit card companies and made it harder for individuals to file for personal bankruptcy protection.

Senator Daniel Akaka had a perfect score of 100%, 100%, and 100%. You can’t do any better than that.

Case votes against workers 
How did Ed Case score? In 2003, his first year in Congress, he scored 86%. The next year, it dropped to 80%. And last year, 2005, it was a terrible 69%. In 2005, Ed Case voted five times to support business against working people. Ed Case voted to cut funds to OSHA, which protects our occupational safety and health. Ed Case voted to prevent companies from being sued in state court for wage and hour violations. Ed Case even wanted tax payers to pay the legal expenses for small businesses if they challenged OSHA enforcement rules and won.

Ed Case votes this way because this is how he thinks. Case is a member of the Blue Dog Coalition, a group of 35 mostly conservative Democrats in the House of Representatives. They think the Democratic Party should become more like the Republicans. Their position on many issues put them in the middle, between the right-wing, pro-business Republicans and the Democrats.

The Blue Dogs have divided and weakened the Democrats in the House of Representatives. On key issues, members of the Blue Dog Coalition have voted against their own political party and sided with the Republicans over 40% of the time. This explains why Ed Case would think it’s a good idea to run against a senior member of his own party.

Fred Galdones

Akaka vs Case 
In the Primary Election this September 23, 2006, Hawaii voters will have a choice between Daniel Akaka and Ed Case.

Daniel Akaka is a respected senator with 15 years of seniority and experience. Akaka has a record of supporting working people 100% of the time. Akaka took the lead in pushing for federal recognition of the Hawaiian people. Akaka has done an excellent job in representing the people of Hawaii.

Ed Case has only 3 years of experience in Washington and no seniority in the Senate. Ed Case votes against labor on many important bills. Ed Case’s Blue Dog philosophy puts him on the opposite side on many of the issues we believe in.

There should be no question that Dan Akaka is the best choice for Hawaii.

We need to go out there and help Akaka win by a very large margin. A big vote for Akaka would show our thanks for the great job he is doing for Hawaii. A big vote for Akaka would send a message that Hawaii doesn’t want people who think like Ed Case in Congress.

Let’s use this opportunity to reach out to our younger members and our families and talk to them about supporting Akaka—to explain the issues and get them to vote for union endorsed candidates.

We have only a few months until the Primary Election on September 23. There will be a lot of work to do and not much time. So let’s build a grassroots campaign and send Akaka Back to Congress. ◆