Lanai1951pineapplestrikestory.Pdf
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* ^ October 4, 1951 THE HONOLULU RECORD Page Five Lanai Story i Atmosphere of Victory Pervades Pine Island;Workers Tell of Gain Won in Face of Dollar Strength By SPECIAL WRITER the memoranduhi of agreement m local police department. He sin ¬ was signed gled ¬ LANAI CITY , Lanai— The Big . The Lanai member ¬ out Sam Onaga, husky La ship ¬ I Strike is over and ILWU. Lanai ratified the negotiating com $ m nai police officer and an ex- ’ i i pineapple workers have triumph¬ mittee s recommendation by an l Maui high gridder, as a fine ex ¬ antly returned to their jobs. overwhelming majority, which ample of a “ good cop.” sent all workers back to their jobs The Pine Island, completely * SB Onaga , incidentally, was recent¬ on Tuesday, September 18. owned by Hawaiian Pineapple Co., ly transferred to Wailuku, Maui. Ltd., has awakened from almost Atmosphere Healthy m He was honored at a farewell par¬ mm ty by seven months of “ slumber.” It is The atmosphere among the La ¬ * K a few of the local boys be¬ today literally a beehive of activi¬ nai workers is healthy. Talk to $ m m fore his departure for Maui. Dur¬ ing ty machines and laborers alike any Lanai pine ¬ m m his hitch on Lanai, Sam as worker, from Pe m ,,r work from sun up to sun down, dro dela Cruz, union business agent m m gained a reputation as a "regular - - guy among trying' to salvage mature fruit in and strike leader, down to any rank m m ” the Lanai residents. S.7: the fields and to put the huge and filer and you will be imme¬ 8 * m “ Bamboo Dining Room” plantation diately impressed 4 may 16,000-acre back into , by the feeling of m The strike be all pau, but 1 shape. security and victory expressed by m m one vivid reminder of by-gone ; 8S Salvaging 3,000 Acres of Fruit their voices and actions. Ml :,x §1 1 strike days the "Bamboo Dining Is Room,” There is plenty of work for ev ¬ Right off the bat they will m m m official— name for the eryone on Lanai, including over¬ tell you that the biggest gain, B union’s community soup kitchen time. night shifts and Sunday outside of the wage increase, is S3 is still the main gathering place — activity . work. Several temporary workers the return of all pine companies and center of , where the h have been hired as the company to industry-wide bargaining. The I men and their families meet to makes every effort to salvage some workers'know this is an import- talk over the day’s activities and ¬ also to get squares 3,000 acres of golden ripe pine tant factor in future pine nego¬ m their 3 .” ( only “ apples. In some cases whole fam¬ tiations. The employers, as al ¬ Not are hot meals still ilies those capable of doing any most everyone knows, tried to served the workers in this soup — ' as m work, are turning out for work. split up the negotiations in 1950, iii kitchen but a regular schedule of free movies is also shown for A good guess is that almost by attempting to negotiate com ¬ wfflm 4,000 acres of fruit rotted away pany by company. This resulted adults and kiddies. B mm Much .credit for ’ during the lengthy work stop¬ in at least one company, Maui the successful m operation of soup kitchen goes page. Pine, signing a one-year con ¬ m m the s to the crew of hard working and Barges have been working over¬ tract and the five other com¬ Ss; m - expert by Alejan¬ time to transport the cargo of fruit panies winding up with two-year it: mH “ chefs” headed M dro Pilaspilas, Teofredo Bello and i to the Hapco cannery in ¬ agreements. M i > Hono George Locquioa Mrs Chiyoko lulu for processing Shiro , Lanai m 1 . - Hokama strike fi¬ union member, | nance chairman, put way m Goshi, wife of a Picture. From the Sky it this : m m Brother Katsuki Goshi, a tractor "The bosses the ones tea That the long, history making are that m s Hi operator, was of great assistance - are now asking 1 for industry wide strike has taken its toll of the La¬ - gathering place throughout the strike She put bargaining. One year ago it was THE “ BAMBOO DINING ROOM” is still the main and . nai pine crop a. loss estimated her wide experience as a cook to just the opposite Now they center of activity among Lanai workers as it was during the strike when around the 25—million dollacr fig¬ . want good stead, preparing the menus - - all our units to okay the or its primary function was to provide three square meals a day for strikers. ure can be clearly seen from the contract and making »sure that well bal¬ flying no dice for anyone. Man, they - air.— While over the pine paign and attacks against the camps and just "shooting the anced, nutritious meals were fields, overgrown by grass sure can change their minds fast.” and union’s leadership. breeze” with the boys is enough served. Mrs. Goshi is well versed vines, one gets the impression that More Than Workers Demanded in the cafeteria style of cooking,, : A wage in¬ to convince you that in the final - the whole countryside is a cow There were other vast improve¬ The final outcome through her experience in a board¬ > per hour al¬ analysis, solidarity and unity were ' pasture. Some the fields ments in the new contract union crease of 15 cents , ing 1 of have the biggest factors in winning the, house. been burned prior being plowed ' security, recognition of Local 142 so 7 cents per hour for workers to — day spirit ¬ Received Wide Support 198 strike Their some under as a consolidated union, job se¬ in other companies. - . be compared that of a A typical meal curity, etc to which the Lanai That has been quite puzzling how can to served at the Lanai is a decided contrast from . “ team, having Bamboo Dining workers-, point pride the strikers and something victorious football “ Room” would neighboring pine growing — with , as to that winning Molokai just emerged from the consist of stew - "spoils” of the long battle, won not had to be clearly explained, said and rice, green where from the air, you see a ” big . And many of the vegetables, bread, crackers, only for pine workers on Lanai, Pedro dela Cruz, in reference to “ one ” butter green tapestry, row on row of neat ¬ of renowned or jelly and but also for other workers in the the wage boost “ They didn’t strikers are athletes coffee or cocoa. ly . planted pines. ability A total entire industry. understand at first how we came . of over 1,000 persons The Lanai strike officially began were served regular meals dur¬ wages, original out with 3 cents more than we Young Jack Zaan, a tractor me¬ on March 1 Two days , before, on On the workers’ ' ing the . asked for Thats the first time chanic, who did yeoman work, strike. Today the num¬ February 26, the company ¬ demand was 12 cents an hour. The . ’ sus any both as a “ bumming team" cap¬ ber is much less. School chil¬ pended 19 * company offered a measly 8 cents. strike ended up with the work¬ union field stewards. a. member of the union’s dren, for instance, now eat their Subsequently, The workers stuck by their guns ers getting more than the original tain and the union refused to negotiating committee, probably lunches at the school cafeteria. 1 accept did not budge inch from demand.” contract terms proposed by and an expressed the sentiments of other Passes or tokens are given each the company demand this, despite a ter¬ Sacrifice Well Worth It . Final settlement their “ ” Lanaians when he said: student and the meals are paid came on September 14, the day rific company— propaganda cam Going around the plantation for in bulk - a tough haul at the end of each “ Sure it was . But week by the I think the sacrifice was well union. Take out meals pre worth it Our enemies will try - are still ¬ . pared for both day and night and confuse us by continually field California shift workers. Those working in To reminding us of the wages lost Grower FBI the nearby garage Uses Intimidate, . and shops spread eat during the strike. They their of stuff every lunches at the soup kitchen. the same kind Just To time our union gets into a beef. Show WTio’s Boss from Donations from throughout Control Filipino Laborers Hawaii I think thats a lotta baloney, the ’ Territory and because we are in this union to the Mainland A California grape grower and The discovery that Hamilton was want to get sick under unsani ¬ from faraway New , Chicago go ahead, not go backwards, or York — ,. packer who recruited 22 Filipinos a guest at the Royal stopped this tary conditions. They also pro¬ New Orleans, Cleveland, Canada remain as we are and get our ' here a few months ago has re¬ action tested that they could not stom¬ kept the soup kitchen ' . rear chewed off. The future is larder well— turned six laborers to the Islands Roy Brent, personnel manager ach the food served in the board ¬ stocked with rice, canned goods, much brighter for everyone con¬ ' without paying them a cent for Royal ing house swarmed by flies, onions, potatoes, flour,- Nothing at the , denied that the hotel “ ” cerned as a result of our victory.” etc.