This is a summary of the annual report for The Hotel Industry – ILWU Pension Plan, Federal I.D. #99-6027621, for the plan year beginning on January 1, 2003 and ending on December 31, 2003. The annual report has been filed with the U.S. Department of Labor’s Pension and Welfare Benefits Administration under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA).

“The ILWU endorses John Kerry for U.S. President and John Edwards for U.S. Vice President.”

Four changes to the Hawaii State Constitutional will be on the November 2 General Election Ballot that threaten to undermine our basic freedom and rights as American citizens. These four amendments are being pushed by  ertain people and elements within our community for self-interest and political purposes.

LONG BEACH, Los Angeles—On April 28, 2004, a container exploded in the Port of Los Angeles just as it was being prepared to be loaded aboard a ship bound to Micronesia. It appears that vapor leaking from a propane or gas tank in the container exploded, blasting out its top, sides and back doors and scattering its contents across the terminal.

On or about September 12, 1931, a wife of a young naval officer stationed at Pearl Harbor (Thalia Massie) claimed she was raped by five local males (2 Japanese, 2 Hawaiians, and 1 Chinese Hawaiian) at Ala Moana Park.

Hawaii’s sugar industry is being hit hard by low sugar prices, which have dropped below 21 cents per pound for the last 10 months from October 2003 to July 2004. The low price has already caused one sugar producer in Michigan to forfeit 16,000 tons of sugar to the Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) at the end of July.

The primary reason for the falling prices is the biggest users of sugar—bakery, cereal, and candy manufacturers—are buying less US made sugar.

“Best July ever.” “Strong growth in visitor arrivals.” “Continue to break all records.” These glowing words were used by the State’s Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism to describe Hawaii’s latest visitor numbers in a press release on August 25, 2004.

Can you spare a few hours this week?
The November 2 General Election is only a few days away and we need to elect candidates who will work in the best interest of working families.

There’s a lot to do and we need your help.
Would you be willing to pass out voter reminder cards to members in your unit? Hold signs before or after work? Come to the union hall to stuff envelopes? Make phone calls to members? Spend a few hours on the weekend walking house to house? Help drive people to the polls or remind them to vote on election day?

In a breakthrough agreement, the Hyatt Regency Maui will be the first employer to partner with the ILWU and provide employee medical and dental benefits through a negotiated Union/Company trust fund. The changeover is scheduled to take place on January 1, 2005. On that date, instead of paying HMSA or Kaiser directly, the Hyatt Maui will put the money into a trust fund. The trust fund will then pay the medical and dental bills or the Kaiser premiums.

That is why the ILWU International and our Longshore Division have emphasized education over the last several years. The 1994 International Convention and the 1997 Longshore Caucus put programs in place that have proven popular and effective, and both the ILWU International Convention and the Longshore Caucus budgeted funds in 2003 to expand them.