The Thirty-eighth Convention of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union will be held June 14-18, 2021 in San Francisco, California via a virtual convention platform. Representation at the Convention and voting strength of the locals/affi liates will be determined in accordance with Article XI of the Constitution.

The following excerpts from Article XI of the ILWU International Constitution are reprinted here for reference.

SECTION 1. A Convention of the International shall be held every three (3) years beginning at 10 a.m. on the second Monday following Easter Sunday. However, the International Executive Board may authorize a different Convention location and starting date which shall be no earlier than March 1st nor later than June 30th of the year in which the Convention is to be held...

The tri-annual Convention will be held in San Francisco, California via a virtual convention platform beginning at 10:00 a.m. on Monday, June 14, 2021, and closing on or about Friday, June 18, 2021. The elected Convention delegates will vote to decide the International budget, proposed increases in per-capita rates, as well as policies and direction of the ILWU for the next three-year period.

Congratulations on negotiating and ratifying a new statewide agreement in this COVID era...

“With COVID, everybody’s lives changed, the world stalled, but Union work never stops,” said Local Vice President and Foodland’s negotiation co-spokesperson Corinna Salmo Nguyen. “It was not easy to negotiate a statewide contract with all of the new safety regulations we had to get used to, but as a Union, we work together for a common goal, and that always gets the job done.”

Socially distanced, but still together... ILWU Local 142 has a strong foundation of democracy. In-person interaction usually facilitates full participation in this democracy, but the pandemic severely limited these in-person opportunities. However, the Local managed to uphold its democratic principles during the pandemic by utilizing technology to communicate and connect.

“Love’s Bakery’s closure reminds me of the closure at HC&S,” said ILWU Local 142 President Donna Domingo, referring to the last sugar plantation on Maui that closed in December of 2016. “At both, generations have been working there, and the workers have had so much longevity and commitment. When that comes to an end, it’s a lot to deal with mentally and emotionally. As their union, we need to assess the workers’ challenges so we can best serve them at this time.”

Love’s Bakery members were employed statewide, so the effort to take care of the membership needed to be as comprehensive as possible. A key union value is cooperation; no one does anything alone.

The University of Hawaii Economic Research Organization (UHERO) collects and analyzes economic data for the State of Hawaii. The following is their latest forecast that was published on March 5, 2021. A vast majority of this information bodes well for our brothers and sisters in the tourism industry.

Although there are still so many unknowns that can change quickly when it comes to COVID, ILWU Local 142, your Union, will continue to be cognizant of updates like these to best serve the membership and their needs.