This year, 2003, will be a busy year for ILWU democracy. There will be two major meetings (we call them conventions) where ILWU members will have the opportunity to set the policies and direction of their union. In addition, there will be three internal union elections at all levels of the union where ILWU members have the right to run for office or nominate and elect others to represent them or run the daily affairs of the union.
These events will give ILWU members many opportunities to learn more about their union and get involved in the democratic process of running their union.
I speak as one who loves America, to the leaders of our own nation: The great initiative
in this war is ours; the initiative to stop it must be ours.
—Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Beyond Vietnam, page 8
ILWU Democracy in Action
A union run for members and by members
International Convention in April
The first meeting is the ILWU International Convention, which will be held in San Francisco, California, from April 28 to May 2, 2003. This convention is made up of 300-400 delegates from the 60+ ILWU local unions that make up the International ILWU. (Local 142 Hawaii is one such local union.) Meeting in convention, these rank-and-file delegates have the power to review the work of the International officers, set the direction of the union, and amend the union’s constitution.
The International Convention is held every three years. The location of the convention rotates through six regions of the
ILWU—Hawaii, Oregon/Columbia River, Northern California, Canada, Washington/ Puget Sound, and Southern California. The last International Convention was held in April 2000 in Port-land, Oregon. This year, the International Convention rotates
to Northern California and will be held in San Francisco. In 2006, the International Convention will be held in Canada.
Actions taken by the International Convention, including changes to the constitution, take effect immediately upon adoption.
Thus, the convention is the highest governing body of theILWU, and this is how the members control the union. Delegates
to the International Convention are elected by direct rank-and-file vote by the members of each ILWU local or affiliate. About one-third of the delegates from Local 142 were elected in elections held in November 2000—these are local delegates who attend the convention at the Local’s expense. Units may elect and send their own delegates, who attend at the expense of the
unit. [See page 6 for the names of the local delegates.] In the last convention held in April 2000, Local 142 had a total of 124
delegates—27 were Local delegates and 97 were unit delegates from some 49 units.
Units interested in sending delegates to the International Convention must hold membership meetings soon to elect delegates and get the necessary membership approval for their expenses. Delegates must be elected by secret ballot and all names must be submitted to the Divisions as soon as possible in order to book airplane reservations and take care of other paperwork.
Although the deadline to submit names for credentials is in March, airline and hotel reservations must be made in February
to ensure participants have confirmed flights and lodging.
—continued on pages 4, 5 & 6
Next ILWU Local Executive Board Meeting: March 20-21, 2003 • 10:00 a.m. • 451 Atkinson Drive, Honolulu HI 96814