The Constitution of the United States

Article I. Section 8. The Congress shall have power to lay and collect taxes, duties, imposts and excises, to pay the debts and
provide for the common defense and general welfare of the United States; but all duties, imposts and excises shall be uniform
throughout the United States;

While most nations have reduced their military spending—including Russia, which has cut its military spending from $300 billion in 1988 to $45 billion today—the U.S. continues to divert vast sums of our tax dollars to increase military spending. The 2003 military budget of $414 billion is almost equal to the $451 billion that the rest of the world combined spends on defense, and 18 times more than the $22 billion spent by China.

Since taking office in January 2001, George W. Bush has led the U.S. into two wars—the war against Afghanistan and the war against Iraq.

Are ILWU members in the healthcare and hotel industry at a greater risk of catching SARS? There are some risks
and ILWU members should know the basic precautions and safety protections to avoid catching SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome).

A large percentage of the early SARS cases have been healthcare workers who treated SARS patients before infection control precautions, such as using gloves and respirators, were instituted. Once precautions were taken, however, there were very few secondary infections and the disease was contained.

HONOLULU—Oahu Division held its annual unit recognition awards night on February 21, 2003 after its Division Executive Board (DEB) meeting. The DEB meeting was the first held in the newly renovated ILWU union hall at 451 Atkinson Drive.

According to Division Director Raymond Camacho, the awards are a way of “recognizing the volunteerism of units and members that is so vital to the union’s success.”

HONOLULU—February and March were busy months for the Local 142’s longshore division, as union members began mobilizing for upcoming contract talks with their employers. Collective bargaining agreements covering ILWU longshore members expire on July 1, 2002, and negotiations are set to begin between the West Coast ILWU and the employer group, the Pacific Maritime Association, in May.

A national budget represents the values and priorities we place on problems and issues confronting the country, directing limited resources to meet them. President Bush just released his proposed budget for the upcoming year. It includes huge increases for military spending, a massive infusion of money for “homeland defense” and endless tax cuts for the wealthy. The budget slashes funding for workers programs and other programs important to organized labor.

The horror of Sept. 11 left more in its wake than 16 smoking acres in Manhattan. A rush to security at all costs became the rule of the day and civil liberties were treated as collateral damage. The Port and Maritime Security Act of 2001 currently being considered in Congress—with its provisions to screen and ban waterfront workers from the docks as security risks—is one of those overreactions.

Ameron International is a cement product manufacturer. Rock and sand are quarried and mixed into different types of cement, then trucked to construction sites by Ameron drivers.