L-R: Alanna Kuhn, Charles Chung, Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard, Business Agent Wil Chang, Carissa Brown from Unit 4526 Alohilani Resort.

A showdown took place at the US Supreme Court on February 26 where union advocates squared off against anti-union lawyers funded by big business.

KAHULUI — On March 27, 2018 Maui Division members and pensioners sign-waved for Colleen Hanabusa and and attended the blessing of her new Maui campaign headquarters. To get involved reach out to Emmanuel “Manny” Baltazar, the PAC chair on Maui (Unit 2520 Grand Wailea).

Part II 

(for Part I see the January/February 2018 issue! )

The entire week of classes ended on Friday February 2, 2018. Members stuck to a rigorous schedule with core workshops in the morning and workshops in the afternoon, and even evening plenary sessions some nights. As a final moment together, they spontaneously started to sing moving labor songs and Hawaii Aloha to honor their time together and remember the importance of solidarity.

Our Mighty Teachers

Instructor Stephen Lerner wears his ILWU shirt with pride as instructor Marilyn Sneiderman holds his jacket.

Classes in session
Every member participated in one “core class,” a class that met every day in the morning for the entire week. In the afternoon, members could choose between workshops that changed daily.

Members left the Labor Institute week on a high, but the real test of the success of these events lies in the aftermath. Will the enthusiasm from the classes and camaraderie be hard to sustain in the day-to-day at the workplace?

Our members did not disappoint. They are applying the ideas they learned at the institute and show here that they have ingenuity to spare and passion to share.

Our union braddahs from Budweiser 
Todd Sismar and Robert “Bobby” Hew-Len are from a freshly unionized unit -- Unit 4404 Anheuser-Busch Sales of Hawaii.

Ready, set, VOTE! 
If you have participated in Local elections in the past, you may remember on-site voting, where members would vote at their worksite.

This year, the union is using mail balloting instead. This method will increase members’ access to voting because they can vote by mail any time, any day, and any place.

HONOLULU — Over 130 attendees of the Labor Institute flanked Congresswoman Colleen Hanabusa as ILWU announced their official early endorsement of her candidacy for governor on February 1, 2018. “We know that Colleen understands the hopes and needs of the workers of Hawaii,” said Local President Donna Domingo, pictured above.

In 1935, President Franklin Roosevelt signed the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) that legalized the right of workers to form unions, negotiate contracts and conduct job actions. It also recognized the importance of “union shops” where all workers shared the cost of maintaining their union. The President made a point of signing the NLRA (also known as the Wagner Act) in the port city of Tacoma, on July 5. That date, recognized then and now as “Bloody Thursday,” honored waterfront workers killed during the West Coast waterfront strike that gave rise to today’s ILWU.