Vital for survival of HC&S
A return to good cultivation practices has paid off for HC&S. Sugar yields are very high, and every field has produced 2-3 tons more sugar than the goals set by the company. The company should do well this year with the increased production and record high prices of sugar on the U.S. and world market. HC&S members will get a big bonus as their collective bargaining agreement provides for profit sharing.
A long running dispute over water use came close to putting HC&S out of business. The sugar industry had been diverting water from East Maui streams to Central Maui for over 130 years, but in 2001 the Native Hawaiian Legal Corporation petitioned the State of Hawaii to restore the original water flow to all streams. In 2008, the State Commission on Water Resource Management ordered HC&S to restore some water to eight streams.
In 2010, the Water Commission was preparing to make a decision on 19 other streams. A number of environmental groups, taro farmers, and native Hawaiian organizations were pushing to restore the flow to all East Maui streams which would have cut off all water going to HC&S and other businesses in Central Maui.
ILWU members take action
HC&S members worked hard to educate the community and put a human face on HC&S. They gave testimony at hearings, spoke to community organizations, and talked to political leaders. Native Hawaiian workers from HC&S attended meetings of Hawaiian organizations and the Office of Hawaiian Affairs (OHA). The issue wasn’t Hawaiian taro farmers against a big corporation.
Many Hawaiians worked for HC&S and hundreds of good, union jobs would be gone if HC&S lost their water supply. The entire Maui economy would suffer.
Their efforts succeeded in changing the attitude of the public and the members of the Water Commission. The Commission found a compromise solution. HC&S was ordered to restore some water to six streams that will benefit fish nurseries in the ocean and taro farmers. HC&S can continue to divert and use the water from 13 streams, but the company must take steps to conserve water and provide annual public reports on their water use and conservation efforts.
Maui County also uses the diverted water to supply Upcountry communities. A lot of water leaks out of the old system and is wasted. To prevent the waste, the Water Commission ordered the County to repair and upgrade the water system.
The Native Hawaiian Legal Corporation was not satisfied with the compromise and plans to take the issue to court. The legal process could take years and the decision of the Water Commission stands until reversed by the court.
Engineering marvel
Henry Baldwin and Samuel Alexander designed and built the original 17 mile long East Maui Hamakua ditch system between 1876 and 1878 with the help of hundreds of mostly Chinese laborers. Baldwin had lost his right arm in a crane grinder accident in early 1876, but he continued to work on the construction of the ditch. There are stories that he would lower himself down ropes with one arm while working on sections of the ditch that crossed deep gullies.
The Hamakua ditch system was considered an engineering marvel at the time. Ditches and wooden flumes were inclined slightly to make use of gravity to move the water downhill but there are areas where siphons are used to suck the water uphill. The system worked and Baldwin and Alexander made a fortune supplying water to sugar growers in Central Maui. In 2002, the water system was declared a Historic Civil Engineering Landmark.
In 1898, Baldwin and Alexander bought controlling interests of the Hawaiian Commercial and Sugar Company from Claus Spreckels and incorporated as Alexander & Baldwin in 1900.
Haliimaile Pine makes profit
A new company and good management has proven pineapple can be profitably grown on Maui
Maui Land and Pineapple unexpectedly quit the pineapple business at the end of last year. The company reported losing as much as $150 million over the ten year period since 2000. The company’s annual reports showed them making a profit in pineapple only for five years between 1995 and 1999. In 2003, pineapple revenue reached a high of $105 million, but the company still reported a loss of $920,000 from its pineapple operations.
Some of the former managers and Ulupalakua Ranch purchased the equipment, the rights to the Maui Gold trademark, and leased the pineapple fields from Maui Land and Pineapple. The newly formed Haliimaile Pineapple Company began operating on January 1, 2010. They negotiated a collective bargaining agreement with the ILWU and hired about 100 of the laid off Maui Pine workers.
Since January the new pineapple company has been selling more and more pineapple and making a profit. Production has increased every month and the company plans to hire more workers this summer.
Oahu Division and members of Dole Pineapple take part in the Annual WahiawaPineappleFestivalonMay17,2010.Thefestivalfeaturedaparade and activities at the Wahiawa District Park on Oahu. Photo by Janis Wong.
Star-Advertiser merges Star-Bulletin and Honolulu Advertiser
About 400 of the 900 employees of the Star-Bulletin and Honolulu Advertiser lost their jobs when Canadian newspaper publisher David Black merged the two newspapers to form the Honolulu Star-Advertiser. The Star-Advertiser published its first issue on June 7, 2010.
Most of the job cuts involved reporters and writers in the editorial department represented by other unions. Black, who controls Black Press, owns over 150 Canadian and U.S. newspapers.
About 120 ILWU members lost their jobs in the merger. All 52 members at the Star-Bulletin were terminated except for four MidWeek employees, and 70 members at the Honolulu Advertiser were cut. About 100 Advertiser members retained their jobs but wages, benefits, and working conditions were arbitrarily changed by Black without negotiating a new collective bargaining agreement with the union.
Newspapers in many U.S. cities have been steadily losing advertising A r o u n d t h e U n i o n revenue and paid subscribers as people turn to TV, radio, and the Internet for their news. Newspapers in many U.S. cities have gone out of business or were bought, merged, and downsized by job cuts.
The ILWU is also pursuing claims against Gannett, who sold the Advertiser to Black, and HAMI (the management company contracted by Black to run the Advertiser for less than two months) for severance payments and wage restorations.
