Our first big demonstration at the Capitol and our radio and television announcements sent the message to our politicians – they have to support our “Local Jobs for Local People” campaign.

It’s working!

The legislative leadership in both the House and the Senate have taken up our cause and are pushing the legislation we proposed to protect local jobs for local people on any taxpayer funded project.

We have just started a combination of our VOC and our Political Action demonstrations.

Our rally at the Yacht Harbor Tower turned out to be very successful — there were over 100 members, spouses, children – all demanding our jobs.  And thanks to them, we got the flooring contractor knocked off and got three of our painters put to work to finish up what the non-union painting company was doing.  But that’s just the start.

We are leafleting at Walmart to protest their using painters from the Mainland on two renovation projects.  Tell your family and friends to complain to Walmart managers.  And let them know if Walmart won’t hire local people, then local people won’t shop at Walmart.

By the time you receive this, we will have had more rallies and demonstrations against developers, owners, general contractors, subcontractors, and anybody else who is going to deny us work opportunities.

We will lead the fight.  We will win the fight.  But only if you join the fight.

Thank you and Mahalo.

First things first.

Every one of us needs to give a big “Mahalo” to the members of District Council 50 who’ve helped us win so much in the last few months!  Our Local Jobs for Local People campaign is kicking butt.  The Rail PLA.  The Aloha Stadium jobs.  The new work that Senator Inouye brought.  The Disney Project. And the TOD victory.  TOD? What’s that?

TOD stands for Transit Oriented Development.  It means all the work that’ll happen at the stops along the rail line.  Tens of thousands of people getting on and off the train at each stop.  There will be shopping, offices, restaurants. And we will get that work.

But all of it isn’t enough.

Not as long as so many of our guys are out of work.  We have to do more.

And that brings me to the political elections in 2010.

Politicians will be knocking on the union’s door asking for our money, our help, and our votes so that they can get the job they want.

I’ve got news for them.

Before we talk about the job they want, we’re going to talk about the jobs we need.  And we aren’t going to settle for a speech or a promise.  We don’t need either.  We need jobs.  For our members.  Period.

So here’s what I propose…

I call it “Our Paycheck Political Platform.”  Any politician who wants our help has to add a “plank” to our platform.  A “plank” is a very specific proposal for how that politician will get some of our members back to work.

What are they going to do to make sure every hotel remodeling job is our job?  What are they going to do about guaranteeing we get the work before developers, builders, contractors can get their permit? What are they going to do when non-union subs import workers from the Mainland or Mexico?

And we don’t want to hear about how they’ll help us get our “fair share.”

Our fair share is every one of the jobs so that every one of our members goes to work every day.

As candidates give us their proposed planks for “Our Paycheck Political Platform”, we’ll look at them, share them with you, and then decide who we work for and who we work against.

Thank you and Mahalo.

The clouds hanging over Hawaii’s economy are dark and no single project is going to get all of our guys working as soon as we would like.  There are some bright spots on the horizon, however.  The brightest of all has been the work of our Volunteer Organizing Committee and our Local Jobs for Local People campaign.  Our union activism – TV ads, demonstrations at the State Capitol, and press conferences – is starting to pay off.

• One of our local contractors might be getting the next phase of the Aloha Stadium Project
• Several new Project Labor Agreements and some new State work are in the pipeline.
• The possibilities of getting the Federal Building and the Federal Courthouse are very good.
• We are still leading the fight to win Project Labor Agreements for the rail project, and we are letting every politician know that we aren’t going to settle for less.

Winning all this work would mean that every one of our members will be back to work, although not right away.  We have many more tough months ahead of us.

I start every day by making a list of things I can do to get our members working.  Projects with Kamehameha Schools Bishop Estate and with other major developers — including the Disney project — are on my agenda every day.

Tough times like these remind me why it’s important for District Council 50 to be part of a larger labor movement.  In August, we participated in the 30th General Convention of our Union.  Since I attended my first convention in 1979, this was the most inspirational.  Speaking to the convention theme of “Change Makes Us Stronger,” I heard from leaders facing 50 percent unemployment, but whose local members are maintaining 100 percent solidarity.  The worst thing that can happen to us is that we start fighting with one another.  We have to keep our eyes on the prize, and we can win that prize by sticking together!

General President James A. Williams and his staff are giving us the tools to move forward into the future.

In the coming months, your District Council and your Local Unions will be drafting new bylaws to maintain our solidarity with our entire International Union.  I urge every member to attend their local union meetings to keep up-to-date with the changes that will be occurring.

“Change Makes Us Stronger.  In order for us to survive, at a decent wage, we must stand together as a District Council to ensure that everything we do is about caring for each other.

A final word of caution — the work that’s on the horizon hasn’t started yet.  When the economy does start coming back, it will be a slow recovery.  Until that time, be cautious with your finances.  Please feel free to call your local union or myself with any concerns you may have.

Thank you and Mahalo.

Have we been through a situation like this before? The answer is NO. We’ve been slow in our State in the past, but this is a global recession.

So where are we now? What can we do to overcome the tough economic issues that we face?

We have a 4-part attack to deal with the crisis, and the majority of our members are up to the fight.

1. Your VOC (Volunteer Organizing Committee) is actively monitoring work opportunities. For those members who have been actively involved with VOC meetings, retiree meetings, demonstrations, and sign holding, I truly appreciate your participation.
2. Watch for our first District Council 50 TV ad. We’re going on the attack. Hawaii politicians are spending millions of our tax dollars renovating Aloha Stadium, but they let the jobs go to people from the mainland! That must end. DC 50 is going to lead the battle… and if this battle becomes a war, we will win that war!
3. We are exploring the possibility of a union-wide program that would ensure health care for all children.  “Da Care for Keiki”, a program that would be funded from the union’s Savings Account, would guarantee that every child in every member’s family has health care.
4. Build on our friendship with President Obama! We were his strong supporters. He hasn’t forgotten us. I received notice on July 13 that the Prince Kuhio Federal Building will be done under a Project Labor Agreement worth $80 million. In fact, all future federal work for our State of Hawaii may be covered under a Project Labor Agreement. Who says Political Action doesn’t help the working class? I want to thank U.S. Senator Daniel K. Inouye for making sure our State is taken care of.

Let me close by saying that for those who feel negatively about your situation or your union — you must, for your own survival, stay involved or get involved for your own good. Together, we must keep our Union strong. Start by participating in upcoming mass demonstrations, handbilling, and attending your union meetings. In my opinion, we have yet to really show our strength, and I am looking forward to our membership standing up to the challenge.

There are no easy answers, but this much is certain: with the participation of our membership standing united together, we will prevail.

Thank you and Mahalo.