25th ILWU Convention —continued from page 1

Membership meetings will be held to give members a report of what happened at the Convention and to ratify the Convention actions. A secret ballot vote is required to approve the dues increase and constitutional amendments.

After a lively debate, the 25th Convention adopted a resolution to support and promote the VEBA Trust for retiree medical benefits. The Trust was started by the union in 2005.

ILWU units must vote to join the program and pay the $3 a month contribution on behalf of their members. The $3 comes out of the unit fund. Members are also encouraged to make additional “supplemental contributions” on their own, which will increase their benefit when they retire.

Units which have not yet joined the program may still vote to join the VEBA Trust.

Good morning everyone. It’s great to see so many of you here, celebrating Labor Day in the way it was meant to be celebrated—by gathering here with other union members and their families, sharing food, and enjoying the music and fellowship.

Support candidates who support working people.

Polling place: The General Election is Tuesday, November 2, 2010. You should have been mailed a notice of where you should vote. Polling places are open from 7:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m. If you work on this day, your employer is required to adjust your schedule to give you at least 2 hours time to vote. Call your union office if you have any questions about this.

WAILUKU—The 2010 ILWU Tourism Caucus was the first time in 20 years where unit leaders from ILWU hotels and golf courses met together to talk about common concerns and develop a unified plan for their contract negotiations.

The caucus was held at the Maui Beach Hotel on September 27 and 28 and was attended by over 120 leaders from 39 ILWU hotels and golf courses. Another 24 ILWU business agents, Local 142 and division officers, and staff attended the caucus.

Strong demand allows hotels to fill more room and raise rates

The U.S. hotel industry posted increases in all three key performance measurements during July 2010, according to data from STR Global. STR provides data and analysis relating to the hospitality industry.

In year-over-year measurements, the industry’s occupancy was up 7.0 percent to 67.9 percent. Average daily rate ended the month with a 1.3-percent increase to $99.14. Revenue per available room for the month rose 8.5 percent to finish at $67.35.

WAILUKU—Paul Tom, the ILWU’s consultant on medical plans, told the Tourism Caucus that the medical benefits provided by the ILWU-Hotel Industry Health and Welfare Fund are as good as or better than any other plan in the private market. There were some issues with servicing but those problems are being corrected when they are brought to our attention. Paul urged members to call the plan administrators, HMA, or the union office about any problems.

ILWU endorsed candidate Brian Schatz with Lanai ILWU members at Maui’s Labor Day celebration on September 6, 2010. Labor Day is meant to be a holiday for workers and a public display of the unity, strength, and spirit of the labor movement.

Pension benefits of more than 44 million American workers and retirees are protected and guaranteed by the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC). This is a federal corporation created by the Employee retirement Income Security Act of 1974 and covers more than 29,000 private single-employer and multi-employer defined benefit pension plans.