Over the next three years, almost the entire membership of the ILWU’s tourism grouping will be negotiating new contracts with the management of their hotels. The tourism grouping is the largest  within the union and makes up one-half of the ILWU’s membership of 21,000. The other industrial groups within the ILWU are sugar, longshore, pineapple, and general trades. In 2006, the ILWU will be negotiating contracts covering 2,800 members at 12 hotels.

“I want to extend my congratulations to the units and individuals we are honoring tonight. All of you, not just the winners of these awards, but all of you here—members, families, retirees, the full-time officers—have done a tremendous job in serving our members and your community.

The ladies from Unit 1402 - Mauna Loa Macadamia Nut Corp. were out in force on the awards night, pictured here with Division Director Richard Baker Jr. and Business Agent Isaac Fiesta Jr. (center). Mauna Loa received one of two awards for Outstanding Unit, 100 and Over Members. This is the second year in a row that they have won this award.

Leaders developed 
The ILWU understood that earlier attempts to organize sugar workers failed because the unions consisted of a handful of leaders at the top and the workers had no lasting organization. The sugar industry could easily destroy the early unions by attacking the leaders, which was done by spreading rumors or by charging them with crimes and deporting them.

In a democratic union like the ILWU, there are members at every workplace who are elected by their fellow workers to lead the union organization at their job site. These elected workers are called “Unit Officers” and the union organization at the job site is called a “Unit” of the ILWU

Arnold Schwarzenegger rode a wave of populist discontent and Hollywood star power into California’s governorship. He played the role of the outsider taking on the status quo, the new sheriff come to clean up the town. The newspapers never mentioned the bankers and railroad barons funding his efforts.

The ILWU sent three delegates to represent the union in South Africa at the tenth year commemoration of the end of apartheid and at an international mine workers conference last November.

However, a look at the voting records on six issues supported by the ILWU reveals a big difference in how Republicans and Democrats in the State Legislature look at these worker friendly programs.

Every two years, the Hotel Industry - ILWU Pension Plan sends a team to the Philippines to investigate, monitor, and review the situation of retired ILWU hotel workers who are receiving pension payment from the fund.

There are 60 people who retired from an ILWU hotel and returned to the Philippines to live.

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