As a member of ILWU Local 142, you are part of a long and proud tradition where workers join or form organizations for their mutual benefit and to promote fairness and justice on the job. These organizations are called labor unions, trade unions, or just unions.

A third and very important benefit of union membership goes far beyond your job. You are now a member of a workers’ organization--dedicated to defend your interests as a worker and to promote the general welfare of you and your family.

This is spelled out in the ILWU Declaration of Principles:

Lucky you live Hawaii

Hawaii hotel workers earn among the highest wages of any hotel worker in the nation. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average annual pay of Hawaii hotel workers was $31,045 in 2003. Maui County hotel workers did even better with an average pay of $32,526

The only hotel workers who earned more were in the state of Maryland and the District of Columbia, where they averaged $33,018 and $32,746 respectively.

Laid-off workers from Maui Pineapple Company’s Kahului Cannery are eligible to receive a wide range of job assistance from the federal government. The ILWU successfully filed a petition requesting these benefits under the Trade Act of 1974, which provides Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) to workers who lose their jobs because of increased foreign imports and additional assistance for workers over the age 50.

Your union contract is a written agreement with your employer. It defines your wages, benefits, conditions of employment, and rights on the job. It is enforceable through a grievance procedure and ultimately in a court of law.

Most union contracts are renegotiated every three years, although some contracts run for only one year and others run for as long as six years. How long the contract runs is up to you and your negotiating committee. The ILWU is a democratic union and members are involved in every step of the negotiation process.

A single worker is powerless to bargain with his employer for good wages and conditions. In the same way, a single voter can’t do much to influence the legislature.

Workers join unions so they can bargain as an organized group, and this pays off in better wages, working conditions, and job security. Likewise, unionized workers can organize their votes, which gives them the power to get laws passed that benefit workers and their families.