WAILUKU—The Times Supermarket ILWU negotiating committee met on August 21, 2013 at the ILWU Hall on 896 Lower Main Street in Wailuku to review and check the new contract for any errors before sending it for signature by the union and the company. The union committee makes sure the new contract correctly contains all the agreements made during negotiations and no other section of the contract has been omitted or altered.

There have been cases where management or their attorneys have changed the language of left out sections of the contract without talking about these changes with the union. It has long been standard practice for the union’s negotiating committees to compare every word of the new contract with the old contract to make sure every section of the contract is correct.

In September 2009, QSI Inc, the parent of Times Supermarkets acquired all seven Star Market stores in Hawaii. There were three Star Market stores on Maui that were covered by a collective bargaining agreement (CBA) with the ILWU. The Kahului store was closed and the CBA of the two remaining stores (Kihei and Honokowai-Lahaina) remained in place.

Unlike other supermarkets covered by the ILWU, this CBA covers every employee except for security and management. Employees of the meat and deli departments are represented by the United Food and Commercial Workers at other supermarkets. The company employs 126 ILWU members.

The ratification was held May 22- 23, 2013 at the ILWU Hall in Wailuku and the tentative agreement (TA) was approved unanimously. The duration of the new CBA is three years with a substantial increase to wages and pension contributions. Other improvements included an increase in the time for rest between shifts and the scheduling of floating holidays. Maui Division Director and spokesperson, Steve Castro, was able to add a Successors and Assigns section to the CBA.

The section reads: “In the event that Times Supermarket is sold during the term of this Agreement, the terms and conditions of the Agreement shall apply to the purchaser of Times Supermarket to the extent required by the rules and doctrine for successor employers of the National Relations Board.”

Members of the negotiating committee are: Maui Division Director/Spokesperson Steve Castro; Business Agent Jerrybeth De Mello; Donna Bourdelais, Unit Chairperson #27 Kihei and Lynne Romero #24 Honokowai-Lahaina.

Members of the Unit 2408 - Times Supermarket negotiating committee (l-r) Lynne Romero, Steve Castro, Jerrybeth De Mello, and Donna Bourdelais.

Prepare now for 2014 Harriet Bouslog Labor Scholarship

If you are an ILWU Local 142 member in good standing and currently enrolled in or applied for admission to a campus of the University of Hawaii System, on a full-time basis, you should apply for the 2014 scholarships.

Applications will be accepted November 1, 2013 to March 1, 2014. Up to ten scholarships are awarded each year.

All applicants are required to videotape an interview with his or her family member who is or was an ILWU Local 142 member and write an essay about what they learned from the interview and what the role of the ILWU Local 142 and other unions should be for them and others. If the ILWU Local 142 family member is deceased or not available to be interviewed, any ILWU Local 142 member may be interviewed.

For ILWU Local 142 member applicants—the applicant shall preferably videotape himself or herself but, if that is not possible, any ILWU Local 142 member may be interviewed.

Scholarship awards per semester are: $2,000 for UH-Manoa, $1,000 for UH-Hilo or UH-West Oahu, and $750 for UH community colleges. Awardees are eligible for up to eight semesters of tuition assistance. With the cost of education at UH going up, the scholarship is a good way to support a college education.

Brochures and application forms are available at any ILWU Local 142 office or on the union’s website: www.ilwulocal142.org. For more information, contact Joanne Kealoha at (808) 949-4161.