November 4, 2008, was historic and a victory for labor and all working people. Hawaii born Barack Obama was elected president by a huge margin. While a handful of elections are still undecided, the Democrats gained at least 8 seats in the US Senate and 19 seats in the US House of Representatives.

Guy Fujimura, Fred Galdones, Akinobu Itoh, Clayton Dela Cruz, Richard Baker, Jo Anne Trask, William Kennison, and Donna Domingo carry some of the 65,000 petitions.

Are you a tipping category hotel worker? Do you want to increase your tipping income by 10 to 30 percent? Yes? Then read Michael Lynn’s “Mega Tips: Scientifically Tested Techniques to Increase Your Tips.” Lynn explains 14 methods that are proven to increase your tips.

Professor Wm. Michael Lynn is a nationally recognized expert on tipping (gratuities). He teaches consumer behavior and tourism marketing at the Cornell University School of Hotel Administration in Ithaca, New York.

National and even regional banks have been cutting back on mortgage, student, and auto loans as they scramble to keep enough cash to cover potential losses caused by the subprime credit crisis.

But credit unions are in good shape, and many of them have plenty of money to loan. Most credit unions follow very conservative, old-fashioned banking practices. They made low risk auto loans and avoided the risky mortgage and commercial construction loans which are causing trouble for so many banks.

January 21 - Hawaii State Legislature convenes 
Hawaii’s State Legislature convenes on January 21, 2009. The ILWU plans to send delegations of members and retirees to meet with legislators on opening day.

The ILWU Political Action Committee will continue efforts to protect workers when a company is sold and to pass a worker’s free choice act for workers wanting to organize a union.

The Legislative Session will probably run until late April.

Longshore maintenance settles

ILWU longshore maintenance units reached a contract settlement which was approved by members on November 15, 2008. Members of the union committee include: Spokesperson Wesley Furtado, Leith Suganuma, Wes Miyashiro, Dennis Inouye, Michael Tompkison, Chris Ancheta, and Darrol Lacar.

Union-wide elections held in November 2009 elected 25 full-time officers, 13 members to the Local Executive Board, and 19 Delegates to the International Convention. All officers serve a term of three years, beginning January 2, 2010 and ending on January 1, 2013.

Members elected a new president—Isaac Fiesta Jr. from the Big Island. Vice President Donna Domingo was re-elected to serve a third term. Guy Fujimura was elected to serve his eighth term as the union’s secretary-treasurer, a position he has held since 1985.

Voting tallies for divisions

James M. Kennedy, Administrative Law Judge of the National Labor Relations Board, issued a scathing decision against HTH Corporation, the owners and management of the Pacific Beach Hotel in Waikiki.

The 51-page decision charged HTH management with 15 violations of federal labor law and ordered the hotel to resume recognition of the ILWU as the workers’ union, rehire and pay back wages to seven members of the union negotiating committee, pay the union’s cost of negotiating since 2005, rescind all changes made without the agreement of the union, and more.

Deletions are bracketed and struck through and additions are underlined.

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