Congress enacted the National Labor Relations Act in 1935 to protect the rights of employees and employers, to encourage collective bargaining, and to curtail certain private sector labor and management practices, which can harm the general welfare of workers, businesses and the U.S. economy.

Findings and Policies 

I’ve been thinking about the 300 sisters and brothers from Local 6 who gave up their pay checks in July to honor the Teamster picket lines at Waste Management. I read the article about their fight in the last Dispatcher, and it made me wonder if we really appreciate what those workers accomplished—and what it means for the future of our union.

LIHUE—The ILWU Kauai Division sponsored a picnic and activity day for its retirees on Saturday, July 21, 2007. About 100 ILWU pensioner club and family members attended the picnic, which is held annually at the ILWU Hall at 4154 Hardy Street in Lihue. ◆

The National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) forbids employers from interfering with, restraining, or coercing employees in the exercise of their rights to organize, form, join or assist a labor organization for collective-bargaining purposes . . .

Employers violate the law by:

• Threatening employees with loss of jobs or benefits if they join or vote for a union. 

• Questioning employees about their union activities or membership in such circumstances as will tend to restrain or coerce the employees. 

HONOLULU—Three teams took part in the 22nd Annual ILWU Slow Pitch Tournament on September 22, 2007, and the victor this year was PSD NAPA from Kauai Division, with a total of 44 runs scored in two games. The round robin tournament was held at Lanakila Park and sponsored by Oahu Division. Mahalo to the following tournament committee members for all their hard work: Oahu Division Sports Coordinators Brian Tanaka and Larry Ruiz, and scorekeeper Kenneth Ige from Unit 4412 - Servco Pacific Inc. ◆

Safety on the job is a big concern to every worker. A workplace can be full of hazards. Slippery floors, sharp objects, moving machinery, dangerous chemicals, heavy lifting, or contaminated air are just a few examples of workplace dangers.

You then look for patterns. A worker may think difficulty breathing or a skin rash are due to their personal health condition. A body mapping exercise may show that several workers in a particular department have the same difficulty breathing or workers who use a particular cleanser have the same skin rash. Such patterns of similar injuries usually point to a workplace hazard that needs to be eliminated.

As a rank-and-file union, it is ILWU members who set the programs and policies of the union. They do this by sending their representatives to a special meeting—called a Convention—which is held every three years. The last Convention of ILWU Local 142 was held from September 15-19, 2003 in Honolulu. The next Convention will be held in September 2006.