Saburo Fujisaki May 1920 - May 2002

HONOLULU—ILWU members and retirees across the state are mourning the loss of a man who truly dedicated his life to building the union and serving its membership.

On May 30, 2002, Saburo Fujisaki, known at “Sabu” to friends and fellow ILWU members, died on Oahu following a long illness. He was survived by his wife Bette, son Lance Fujisaki, daughter Luann Yoshida, and two granddaughters.

In April of this year, a resolution of appreciation was passed at the ILWU State Pensioners Association 21st Biennial Conference that best describes how the the ILWU feels about Sabu:

“Saburo Fujisaki has been a union man for many years.

“In 1943, as a 23-year-old electrician, Sabu and a small group of workers organized Olaa Sugar plantation and were chartered by the ILWU in 1944. Sabu served as officer, organizer and bulletin editor at Olaa Sugar Local 148 (later Local 142 Unit 1103) and as Big Island strike committee secretary and publicity director during the historic 1946 sugar strike that lasted 77 days.

“When six sugar locals were consolidated into United Sugar Workers Local 142 in October 1947, Sabu served as interim secretary-treasurer and was elected to that position in January 1948. He was also assigned to the ILWU Reporter (later VOICE of the ILWU) as staff writer.

“In 1952, he was appointed Territorial Union Defense Director as the union mobilized its ranks to defend ILWU Regional Director Jack Hall, who was indicted under the Smith Act. Sabu worked hard to fend off strong anti-union attacks and fight for the union’s very existence. At the same time, he was appointed sports program and medical claims department director. In 1955, he was appointed to head the newly established membership service department.

“ILWU pensioners especially owe a debt of gratitude to Sabu for what he accomplished as Membership Service Director. In 1958, he organized the ILWU State Pensioners Association, forming clubs in all Divisions. He was instrumental in forging close ties with ILWU pensioners clubs and county senior citizen programs. Until today, several Big Island pensioner club remain an integral part of the county programs.

“Sabu established the ILWU state pensioners conference in 1961, allowing ILWU pensioners from throughout the state to come together on a biennial basis to re-establish ties with one another, learn about union programs, and renew their commitment to the ILWU.

“Without Sabu’s vision, the ILWU pensioner program may never have materialized. Sabu provided the initiative, the energy, and the hard work to establish the ILWU pensioner program as a strong, vital part of the ILWU. It is to Sabu’s credit that the program continues almost 20 years after his retirement.

“Today, despite his illness, Sabu remains a strong union man. His example is an inspiration to us all.

“NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the 21st Biennial State Conference of the ILWU State Pensioners Association express deep and sincere appreciation to Saburo Fujisaki for his dedication to the ILWU pensioner program and to the union which he served so well.”

...“for many, many more years to come.”

Upon his retirement Fujisaki stated, “My years of relationship with the ILWU has been a great learning and rewarding experience— I am fortunate for having met thousands of wonderful people on all of the islands. “The ILWU has done much towards improving the lot of working people—and bringing major economic, social, and political gains which benefit everyone in Hawaii. May the ILWU continue to be a moving force, maintain its respected position within trade union circles, for many, many more years to come.” The contributions that Sabu made to the ILWU during his years of service to the union are immeasurable. He has touched the lives of thousands of ILWU members through the education and membership service programs he administered. And ILWU workers will continue to benefit from from the programs he helped to develop for many, many years to come.

Lapenia addresses pensioner conference 

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longshore strike. They also proposed House Bill 319 which would cut the minimum wage in half for tipped employees in the food and beverage industry. Gomes, Djou, and McDermott introduced HB 886 to remove the presumption clause from Workers Compensation, which would make it harder for injured workers to qualify for benefits. These are just a few examples of the anti-labor bills being pushed by the Republicans. And it is not just a few individuals, because they are signing these bills as a group. These are not ordinary or innocent proposals. The same kind of bills are being introduced by Republicans all across the country. This is part of a calculated and deliberate strategy to destroy unions, to weaken government, and to give business a free hand to pursue the almighty dollar.

Election 2002 

We don’t get this kind of antiworker and anti-union legislation from Democrats. We get some bad bills from the Democrats and we may disagree with how they do things, but the Democrats are not conspiring to destroy unions. We can usually work with them to find solutions we can all live with. 

The Republicans, on the other hand, have become the party of business and the wealthy, and they are waiting for their chance to run this state. This is why the 2002 elections will be the most critical election ever faced by working people in Hawaii.

For the first time in 40 years, the Republicans think they have a good chance of electing the next governor and capturing more seats, even a majority, in the House of Representatives. If this happens, we will have a state government that is hostile to unions and worker’s rights. If this happens, we can expect increasing attacks on the wages and benefits we all worked so hard to achieve. If the Republicans gain control, our fight to improve Medicare and Social Security will become even more difficult.

A lot is at stake in this election. We have made political action a top priority in every Division. We have started registering our members and their families to vote. We are spending more time educating our members about the issues in this election. Soon our Political Action Committees will begin meeting with candidates who seek the union’s support, and we expect to complete the endorsement process by July 23rd. Some of you may be involved in this process, as the State PAC Committee has invited each Division to send a pensioner observer to sit on the committee.

I know we can count on you to help, as you always have, with our Political Action program. This is going to be a tough election, but with your help, this is a fight we are going to win. 

On behalf of the 22,000 active members of the ILWU, I want to thank you for all you have done and are continuing to do for this union.