Maui Division Director William Kennison
The past three years have been the most trying of my 30 years as a fulltime officer of the ILWU Local 142, having served as a Division Representative, Business Agent and presently as the Maui Division Director.
Hawaii Division Director
Richard Baker, Jr.
As the Hawaii Division Director for the past six (6) years, Richard Baker, Jr. has led the Hawaii Division Team to achieve its goals in the areas of organizing, mobilizing, negotiations of good and fair contracts, and building future leadership at the unit level.
HILO—Not even the “tsunami that wasn’t” could stop Hawaii Division from enjoying the 33rd Annual Hawaii Division Awards Banquet at the Harry Kamoku Hall in Hilo on the evening of February 27, 2010.
While most of the state—and possibly the country were tuned to their television sets to see what kind of damage might occur on the Hilo bay front from a pending tsunami that was generated from an earthquake in Chile—Moses Moke and his fellow seniors from the Hilo pension club were busy decorating the Hall for the evenings festivities.
ILWU officers and members march in support of workers’ rights in the State of Wisconsin at the Hawaii State Capitol on February 26, 2011. (Front, left to right) Oahu Business Agent Shane Ambrose, Michael Ruiz and Tavita Tufaga from Unit 4415 - Hawaiian Memorial Park, and former unit officer from The Honolulu Advertiser Rick DeCosta.
Four fundamental principles and rights at work
1) Freedoms of association and collective bargaining.
2) Elimination of forced and compulsory labor.
3) Elimination of discrimination in employment and occupation.
4) Abolition of child labor.
My mother, who immigrated to the United States from Nicaragua, worked the 3 p.m. to midnight shift at a toy factory after the birth of my younger twin sisters. She was a member of the United Rubber Workers, which later merged with the Steelworkers Union.
There are 22 states which have a so-called “Right-To-Work” law which prohibits agreements between unions and employers which require workers to pay union dues as a condition of employment. In these states, workers in a unionized workplace can not be required to become union members nor pay union dues. Yet these workers would get all the benefits under the collective bargaining agreement negotiated by the union without having to pay any of the costs to support the union’s operations.
Former ILWU International Secretary Treasurer and Local 26 President, Joe Ibarra, passed away on February 11th. He was 69 years old. Joe’s life was celebrated at a memorial service on March 4th in San Pedro, CA by family, friends, and his union brothers and sisters. Joe was remembered for a lifetime of outstanding service to workers and for his dedication to social and economic justice for all people.
Grocery stores are selling the thawed, previously frozen bread which comes from the mainland on the same shelves as the fresh baked bread produced by Love’s Bakery. Because of higher profit margins, many grocery chains are giving the frozen bread the best shelf positions and pushing the locally produced Love’s bread to the bottom shelves.
The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is responsible for assuring that foods sold in the United States are safe, wholesome and properly labeled. This applies to foods produced domestically, as well as foods from foreign countries. The Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FD&C Act) and the Fair Packaging and Labeling Act are the Federal laws governing food products under FDA’s jurisdiction.