Ten days after taking office, President Barack Obama signed three executive orders that recognize a strong labor movement is part of the solution to our economic problems. Obama reversed some of the anti-union policies made by George W. Bush. A fourth executive order creates a White House Task Force for the Middle Class.

“We have to reverse many of the policies towards organized labor that we’ve seen these last eight years, policies with which I’ve sharply disagreed. I do not view the labor movement as part of the problem, to me it’s part of the solution. 

“We need to level the playing field for workers and the unions that represent their interests, because we know that you cannot have a strong middle class without a strong labor movement.

 “We know that strong, vibrant, growing unions can exist side by side with strong, vibrant and growing businesses. This isn’t a either/or proposition between the interests of workers and the interests of shareholders. That’s the old argument. 

“The new argument is that the American economy is not and has never been a zero-sum game. When workers are prospering, they buy products that make businesses prosper. We can be competitive and lean and mean and still create a situation where workers are thriving in this country.” 

—January 30, 2009

Jobless benefits extended

Hawaii normally pays up to a maximum of 26 weeks of unemployment insurance. Due to the economic crisis, new federal programs have added 33 weeks of coverage for a total of 59 weeks of unemployment insurance, and increased the weekly benefit payments by $25 beginning March 1, 2009.

The $25 a week increase also applies to unemployed pineapple workers receiving Trade Readjustment Allowances (TRA). The State Unemployment Insurance Division should automatically add the $25 to your benefit checks. You should call the State Unemployment office if you do not see an increase in your benefit check.

If you are still looking for work and exhausted your 26 weeks of regular benefits or 39 weeks of extended unemployment benefits, you may be eligible for an additional 20 or more weeks of benefits. You must reopen your original claim by calling 643- 5555 (in Hawaii) or 1-877-215-5793 (if you are outside Hawaii).

You may also be eligible for extended benefits if you had an unemployment insurance benefit claim that ended on or after May 1, 2007. Call or visit your local unemployment office for more information.

If you lost your job or need help with medical coverage, you may be eligible for a new benefit

President Obama’s economic recovery program includes help for workers who lose their medical coverage because they are working less hours, were laid off, or lost their jobs after September 1, 2008.

Under the recently enacted American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA), you can continue your medical coverage under COBRA and pay only 35 percent of the cost of the medical insurance for up to nine months. COBRA is a law passed in 1985 which gives terminated or laid off workers the option to remain in their former employer’s group medical plan. However, under normal COBRA, the worker must pay the full cost of the medical plan and may be charged an additional two percent for administrative costs.

The new law covers all workers and their beneficiaries eligible for COBRA from September 1, 2008 to December 31, 2009. Your employer should give you a notice of your right to continue medical coverage for the reduced cost of 35 percent. Your employer pays the remaining 65 percent of the cost, which they can recover by taking a tax credit.

If you lost your medical coverage after September 1, 2008, but did not take COBRA or stopped coverage because it was too expensive, your former employer should have sent you a notice by April 18, 2009. This notice gives you another chance to take COBRA at the reduced premium. You would not be eligible for this benefit if you are covered by your spouse’s health plan, by a new employer’s health plan, or Medicare. You would also not be eligible if you were fired for gross or very serious misconduct. You should not be denied COBRA coverage for less serious misconduct or incompetence.

If you think you should be eligible for COBRA but did not receive a notice from your former employer by April 18, call the Employee Benefits Security Administration office at 1- 866-444-3272. You can also get more information from their website at www.dol.gov/cobra.

Raposas joins Executive Board

HONOLULU—On March 20, 2009, Aurora Raposas replaced Jerry Lagazo as a member of the ILWU Local 142 Executive Board. Raposas, from Kauai’s Unit 3105 - Gay and Robinson, will serve as the sugar industrial grouping representative for Lagazo’s remaining term of office which runs until January 1, 2010.

Lagazo resigned from the Board after he was permanently laid off from Gay and Robinson in December 2008.

Article V, Section 5.05 of the ILWU Local 142 Constitution provides that vacancies in an elective office may be filled by the Titled Officers, with the confirmation of the Division Executive Board involved. In this case, the Kauai Division Executive Board approved the selection of Aurora Raposas.

The next Local 142 Executive Board (LEB) meeting is scheduled for Friday, May 29, 2009, in Honolulu at the ILWU building on 451 Atkinson Drive. 

The meeting begins at 9:00 a.m. on May 29. ILWU members are welcome to attend as observers.