This year’s main Labor Day event featured a march through Waikiki on September 1 instead of the usual concert at the Waikiki Shell. The march, sponsored by the Hawaii State Federation of Labor, brought 16 labor organizations and 11 com-
munity and political groups together to support the rights of immigrant workers. About 40 ILWU members and retirees participated in the march.
The march also featured the Waipahu and Pearl City High School marching bands, taiko drummers, and Korean dancers.
The focus on immigrant workers’ rights is part of a nationwide campaign by the labor movement to build support for meaningful reform of immigration laws. The Immigrant Workers Freedom Ride (see story below) is also part of this campaign.
ILWU members and retirees joined dozens of other unions to celebrate Labor Day with a rally and a march through Waikiki on September 1, 2003.
Labor Day organizers plan to return to the hugely popular “Labor in Concert” program which featured family activities in the afternoon and an evening of top entertainment at the Waikiki Shell. The annual event had become bigger and better each year and drew 10,000 union members and their families in 2002.
Hawaii and Kauai Divisions held pensioners picnics in August to celebrate Labor Day. Maui did not hold a Labor Day celebration.
Justice for immigrant workers and their families
Three ILWU members will take part in a cross-country journey to expose the injustices of current policies toward immigrants in the United States. The three members are: Nemesio Sanchez, retiree from Mauna Kea Beach Hotel and organizer/mobilizer from Hawaii Division; Bob Zahl, member at HC&S and the Local Executive Board; and Bill Udani, former Hawaiian Waikiki
Beach member and currently with the Local’s organizing department.
On September 20th, they will join nearly one thousand immigrant workers and their allies who will board buses in Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Minneapolis, Chicago, Houston, Miami and Boston and cross the United States over the next 12 days.
The “Freedom Riders” will travel some 20,000 miles of U.S. highways and stop at more than 100 cities, towns and workplaces along the way, where rallies and other educational events will call for an end to policies that discriminate against immigrants.
Immigration Reform
The Freedom Ride will call for immigration policies that: 1) Reward work by granting legal status to hardworking, taxpaying, law-abiding immigrant workers already established in the United States; 2) Renew our democracy by clearing the path
to citizenship and full political participation for our newest Americans; 3) Restore labor protections so that all workers, including immigrant workers, have the right to fair treatment on the job; 4) Reunite families in a timely fashion by streamlining our outdated immigration policies; and 5) Respect the civil rights and civil liberties of all so that immigrants are treated equally under the law. The federal government remains subject to checks and balances, and civil rights laws are meaningfully enforced.
The “Freedom Riders” will travel some 20,000 miles of U.S. highways and stop at more than 100 cities, towns and workplaces.
On October 1st and 2nd, the buses will converge on Washington D.C. where riders will meet with members of Congress. On October 3rd, the
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Spinosa, McEllrath, Furtado win second term
ILWU International President James Spinosa won a second three-year term as leader of the union after the results of rank-and-file balloting held in July were certified. Spinosa ran unopposed on the strength of the victory in last year’s longshore contract struggle that maintained 100 percent employer-paid health care, won the biggest pension increases in the history of American unions and laid out a framework to introduce new technology run by union workers.
Incumbent International Vice President, Hawaii, Wesley Furtado, also won reelection, defeating challenger George Martin by a vote of 6,581 to 3,131. Local 23 and International Executive Board member Willie Adams was elected International Secretary-Treasurer to replace retiring Joe Ibarra. Adams received 6,035 votes to prevail over Marina Secchitano who received 4,014 votes.
All four of the ILWU officers who led the union through the successful longshore contract negotiations last year were reelected. Besides, Spinosa, International Vice President Robert McEllrath and Coast Committeemen Ray Ortiz, Jr. and
Joseph Wenzl all ran unopposed and are returning for another term.
The new International Executive Board will consist of: John Tousseau, Mike Mitre and Larry Carleton for the Southern California Area; Trinidad Esquivel III for the newly created Southern California Desert Area; Fred Pecker, Kevin Gibbons
and Richard Cavalli for the Northern California Area; John Evans and John Rapp for the Columbia River Area; Max Vekich, Jr. and Conrad Spell for the Puget Sound Area; Pete Hendrickson for Alaska; Tom Dufresne for Canada; Dave Freiboth
for the Inlandboatmen’s Union; and Eli Miura, Pam Green, Martin Jenson (replaces Teddy Espeleta), Arthur Reeves (replaces Richard Kaniho), and Jerry Lagazo for Hawaii.
Richard Kaniho and Teddy Espeleta were originally elected to the International Executive Board as the Hawaii representatives from the tourism and pineapple groupings. However, both of them resigned to take positions as full-time business agents. As provided by Article 5.05 of the ILWU Local 142 Constitution, the Titled Officers appointed Arthur Reeves and Martin Jenson to fill the vacancies created by the resignations. These appointments were confirmed by the Hawaii and Maui Divison Executive Boards.
or more results and a break down of the vote by areas, see page 8.