A Guide for New Members
INTRODUCTION
WELCOME TO THE ILWU!

As an employee of a company organized by the ILWU, you are now a member of the largest and most effective union in the State of Hawaii. The ILWU represents 22,000 workers throughout the state in a variety of industries: tourism, sugar, pineapple, longshore, bakeries, supermarkets, health care facilities, automotive shops, and more.

As a union member, you are entitled to the wages, benefits, and rights on the job that are spelled out in your union contract. More importantly, you now belong to an organization of workers that is dedicated to protecting and improving the conditions of working people.By themselves, workers have little power.

But by joining together into unions, workers have the collective strength to bargain with their employers over wages, benefits, and working conditions. Unions also work to promote fairness and justice in the community. The union movement helped pass many of the laws that benefit working people such as minimum wage, safety and health, and equal rights laws.

Union membership also brings some responsibility on your part. Your union is a democratic organization and this means that members have the right to participate in union programs attend union meetings, and vote for union leaders. After all, you—the workers—are the union, and the union is only strong if everyone participates and gets involved.

Browse through the following pages, “A Guide for New Members.” They explain many of the benefits of being a union member. A printed copy of this booklet is available—please ask your Business Agent for one.

On behalf of ILWU Local 142, we welcome our new members to our ranks and hope that all become active members of our Union.