Political, economic
clout carried
ILWU to power
In 1956, the union and
By Richard Borreca
territorial Democrats forged
a coalition that still continues
Star-BulletinIf the Big Five controlled the plantations, transportation and politics in Hawaii after World War II, only the ILWU could rise to the same levels of power.
The war had halted the union's drive to organize the sugar plantations under mainland sparkplug Jack Hall. But after WWII, the demands from labor, fed up with years of martial law and plantation control, were easily answered by the ILWU.
Hall, who wanted the union to have both economic and political clout, formed a strong political action committee to support election candidates. He used that power to endorse Democrats and Republicans alike - as long as they signed off on the union's objectives.
In 1946 the ILWU called a territory-wide sugar strike, unleashing a propaganda barrage by both union and management.
The 79-day strike did not make remarkable gains, but it did have "great psychological value and added immensely to the union's prestige and power," according to Richard Wisniewski, author of "Hawaii: A History of the Territorial Years."
One key result: The strike ended the plantation perquisite system in which benefits were handed out by the company. Union officials gained charge of benefits such as housing and medical care.
Three years later, the territory faced its most critical strike. It would draw the attention of officials as far away as Washington, D.C.; affect Hawaii's chances for quick passage of a statehood bill; and set the islands on the path of labor unity.
In May 1949, the ILWU struck the docks, saying longshoremen here were paid dramatically less than West Coast workers. The 178-day strike gnawed at the island's lifelines, forcing small businesses into bankruptcy, causing food shortages and in the end, making the ILWU one of the Territory's major powers.
The Honolulu Advertiser began front-page editorials with the heading "Dear Joe," and charged the ILWU with helping Russian dictator Joseph Stalin plot to destroy Hawaii's economy.
Finally, the Legislature passed the dock strike seizure bill, allowing the territory to take over Hawaii's docks and to rehire stevedores at their old wages.
In the end, the union won a 21-cent an hour raise - but members had lost hundreds of thousands of dollars in wages.
"We were probably extremely strong," said Ah Quon McElrath, former union official who now sits on the University of Hawaii Board of Regents.
"Seventy-five to 85 percent of our endorsed candidates won their elections. The reason why is we got people registered and we got them out to vote, we did the hard work."
And while the 1950s Communist scare worried Democratic Party organizers - they feared the ILWU and Hall's links to Communism would hurt Democrats' chances in the elections - those doubts had to be put aside in 1956.
To win the election to be Hawaii's delegate to Congress, John Burns formed a coalition with Hall and the ILWU. The new alliance worked - and it formed the basis for Hawaii's close union-Democratic Party ties, which continue today.
The Honolulu Star-Bulletin is counting down to year 2000 with this special series. Each installment will chronicle important eras in Hawaii's history, featuring a timeline of that particular period. Next installment: October 25. About this Series
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Project Editor: Lucy Young-Oda
Chief Photographer:Dean Sensui
