As our island state continues to face economic challenges, one thing remains clear: when our middle working-class families thrive, our communities thrive.
Hawaiʻi has the highest rate of union membership in the country and our union members are the backbone of our economy. As such, they deserve to live and work with dignity, to be paid fair and livable wages, to work under safe working conditions (including nurse-to-patient ratios), and to be provided with comprehensive medical benefits.
Labor unions bring a collective strength to scattered voices, and this collective voice promotes economic equality and had led to many positives changes for working families in Hawaiʻi and across the nation, including but not limited to, establishing the 8-hour workday and 40-hour work week, ending child labor, and establishing safe workplaces.
Here in Hawaiʻi, the rising cost of living has outpaced wages, putting tremendous pressure on working families and creating a diaspora of Native Hawaiians.
International Longshore & Warehouse Union (“ILWU Local 142”) President Chris West, a Native Hawaiian who represents nearly 18,000 members and the largest private union in our state, voiced his concerns: “We must stop this outmigration of local families in search of a better way of life. Too many families move, not because they want to, but because they have to. We must fight for wages that keep up with the cost of living. We must convince our people that many corporations doing business in Hawaiʻi are making a killing and instead of sharing a portion of that with its workers, they buy back their own stocks or line the pockets of their CEO’s. Enough is enough!”
The ILWU 142’s fight is a fight for our people and I, too, believe that no one working a full-time job should struggle to provide for their family or put a roof over their head. Supporting unions in their fight for fair and livable wages for the working class will also have the effect of keeping local families home, including Native Hawaiians who have been forced from their homeland in record numbers.
Unions have long fought for safer workplaces, and accurate nurse-to-patient ratios. Whether it’s ensuring proper equipment for longshore workers or providing better protective measures for healthcare workers, or accurate nurse-to-patient ratios, a safe working environment is non-negotiable.
Unions are dedicated to not only preserving these hard-won benefits but expanding access to healthcare, supporting policies that protect union-negotiated healthcare plans, and ensuring that families can access the medical care they need without fear of losing coverage due to rising costs or shifting political tides.
Hawaiʻi’s unions play a crucial role in shaping our economy. When unions thrive, our middle-class families thrive, and Hawaiʻi thrives.
In speaking with union attorney Keani Alapa, law partner at Alapa and Otake LLLC, he emphasized the important role that collective bargaining plays in our economy. “Amongst other things, our unions fight for fair wages, and when our middle class earns fair wages, it sparks discretionary spending which benefits other businesses in the state and stimulates the economy,” he said.
“To achieve this end, it begins with empowering our labor unions with the tools to assure a meaningful place at the bargaining table, including the legal authority to collectively bargain which is guaranteed under Article XIII, Sections 1 and 2 of the Hawaiʻi Constitution.”
Unions are the heart of Hawai’i’s middle and working classes and giving unions our support means supporting the families who make our state what it is. Together, we can build a stronger, more equitable future for Hawaii’s working class – one where every family can live with dignity and flourish.
