Hawaiian Labor Unions and the 1946 Sugar Stike

      Living in Hawai`i your whole life, you get an understanding for the importance of labor unions and organizations.  As a child, the curriculum only  focused just slightly on strikes in the 20^th century but without them, there would not be any progress in the Hawaiian Islands and its influence elsewhere with the organization of unions.   My father was always proud to be part of the Hawaiian Laborers Union Association.  He felt a sense of comfort and he knew that they would assist him if there were any inequalities being administered toward him or others. Labors unions make sure their members acquire pension plans, health care, fair wages, and work compensation when injured. Without them, I probably would not be here at this university today.  For these reasons stated above, I would like to present, a moment of significant history and transformation, the 1946 Sugar Strike.

             To understand this strike one must clearly take an account a little bit of history of Hawai`i.   The State of Hawai`i did not become a state until 1959.  Prior to this, the islands had a monarchy that was annexed not once but twice. Under the Newsland Joint Resolution in 1901, Hawai`i was finally annexed due to the importance of Pu`uloa -Pearl Harbor- to the United States Military especially during the Spanish American War in 1898 and the White elite in power.  These settlers like many others before them changed the face of the Hawaiian nation by creating more inequalities. For instance, the sugar and pineapple plantations exemplified a feudal system of labor in which the owners controlled the lives and families of their workers.

The Big-Five were subsidiaries and parent  companies –American Factors (Amfac), Castle &Cook, C. Brewer, Alexander &Baldwin, and Theo H. Davies &Co.- of the White Elite in Hawai`i in power.  These companies  not only controlled  the economic sector in Hawai`i but also in the educational and political institutions of the then Hawaiian nation and territory of the United States( The 1946 Sugar Strike).
      Thus, the people working in the plantations totaled 1/5 of all of  Hawaii's population. Because of the importance of sugar during the 19th and 20th century in the World's economy, many plantation companies contracted workers from different countries to work in this industry. These laborers were Japanese, Filipino, Portuguese, Chinese, and  also Hawaiian.  Because these groups were from different countries, they did not speak the same language and were segregated in different camps as a way to prevent communication and solidarity.  However, many workers understood that they were treated unfairly and the pay grade was different for each ethnic group, for example, the Japanese earned $0.99 an hour as oppose to the Filipinos workers who earned $0.69.

            The  Sugar Strike of 1946  was one of the most important strikes in the history of Hawai`i. As  Solomon mentioned in the strike of 1919, both the Japanese and Filipino labor groups demanded better working conditions, higher wages, and eight-hour work days(12).  In order to continue controlling the work force, the plantation owners evicted the strikers from their homes, hired strikebreakers, and leaders were  prosecuted for conspiracy.  However, this group continued fighting and were granted most of their demands.  As a result, these two groups placed pressure toward  the plantation owners and  the laborers throughout the years came to an understanding that the key for change and transformation was unity and organization. Thus, in efforts to go on strike in 1946,   solidarity was essential  and all labors needed to be unionized island-wide.

       The International Longshore and Warehouse Union  and sugar plantation workers began  to unionize and effectively strategized to reduce failure.   This union, established finally in  August 11, 1937,  replacing the old union International Longshoreman Association. Their main focus was to reorganize workers and in the  Hawaii chapter, this union included sugar and pineapple workers, hotel workers, and  dock workers.  For the Sugar Strike in 1946, some leaders like Jack Hall from the ILWU came to the islands to assist in the labor movement that was embarking.  For both the ILWU and the sugar plantation workers, it was important that there were leaders from each camp that were recognizable and respected.  The leaders needed to be informed in order to inform others in their groups and to have others sign up for the union. This method of strategy was a way to utilize all the uses. Other leaders came from sport organizations and volunteer activities such as OLAA Surf Riders Baseball Team.  For the ILWU, it  was important to involve new leaders such as Eddie Lapu  from the Wailua Sugar Cane Plantation to help with the organization of the unions and to have others sign up. Because plantations enforced their own law, they prohibited organizing, which made this somewhat difficulty in organizing and having member sign up for the union.  However, the workers would meet after 9:00 PM once they were off work and they organized meetings at  Post Office places that were United States government owned. At one point in some plantations, new members signed up in the restrooms.  The plantations in order to discourage laborers, brought more workers approximately 6,000 from the Philippines in 1946.

However, upon arrival the workers on the ships were already affiliated with the ILUW because they like many others believed in having better pay and benefits. The end result of signing all workers brought a strength in numbers and a disruptions could occur to create pressure.
    The strike itself took a year to finally become organized. Prior to this , a selected groups of  workers were sent to the mainland California in formal educations on organizing,  ideology of labor history and law,  and also they attended live practicums of other union struggles.  To have this was essential in order to have a sound organized union and strike. In addition, prior to the sugar strike,  there was already comprise drawn up that allowed workers more pay than  24 cents an hour. However,  workers aimed to get paid $0.65 an hr,  work 40 hours a week, but most importantly, they wanted to eliminate  the prerequisite of free provision of  medicare, housing , and fuel.  The perquisite only made plantations perpetuate their control and  power by enslaving workers to harsh treatment and horrible living condition to their standards. Instead the union proposed that this should come out of their pay. In addition, the union demanded a union store and security in their jobs.

    In the end, the Sugar Strike in Hawaii started in September 1946 and ended on November 17, 1946.  There were 33 out of 34 plantations on strike with approximately 25,000 workers officially picketing.  Because the men were on strike the family was also in support of this strike in which this meant 75, 000 people were on strike.  During the strike everyone had a job either transporting workers, making food, going to meetings,  or providing entertainment for morale. It seemed that no one was left behind and although many did not speak the same language,  the union made sure communications were in Ilokano, Tagalog, Japanese, Chinese and Standard English.  Although there was opposition due to Hawaiian law favoring the management in prohibiting unlawful assembly, the people took the risk by attesting the constitution of territorial law by getting arrested.  In other words, the workers did not show fear and challenged the authority.  This pressure enforced accomplished change in labor in Hawai`i and the end of a feudal system. The workers earned a 20-40 % increase, 40 hours a week workdays, and the end of provision. In addition, there  was new management in which found the need to negotiate and allow grievances to be addressed instead of ignoring the workers.
   Thus,  to many workers from this era and myself this was a social victory. This transformed the lives of many and changed the lives of the community.   In the documentary about this strike called the 1946 Sugar Strike, one woman noted that they were fighting for their children and to change the future. Many were tired of being treated as second class citizens and demanded a voice.  Other ways where this sugar strike changed the course of the future is in the state government.  Those who were  citizens working on the plantations registered to vote then later voted on candidates that did not ignore the workers and their demands.  Because of this in Hawai`i till this day, the house majority is democratic and not republican.
  In sum,  when there is a strike in Hawai`i the people support them and their demands.  Without those brave people who did strike those last few months in 1946, Hawai`i would possible continued to be a feudal system of labor and there would not be a sense of racial equality in Hawai`i.  Although there is still some disparities in Hawai`i,  I know this union like many others are still standing strong in Hawai`i even though the number has dropped elsewhere.  My point is the strike created change in Hawai`i and transformed the working class to be acknowledge as a voice to be heard. As a result, there is ethnic diversity, hybridity in language and culture, and a sense of pride to be from Hawai`i.  I also believe the reason why many do not know about this Sugar Strike in history books  is because many books fail to recognize Hawai`i as a state and only remember Pearl Harbor in 1941. They  do not look  beyond that nor remember that Hawai`i was its own nation once.  Another reason for this history to be ignored is the distance that Hawai`i is from the mainland and many people still want to believe  that "there  is no trouble in paradise."


Work Cited:
" International Longshore and Warehouse Union" Wikipedia. 2011.  7 October 2011 .


Salomon, R. Roots of Justice. Berkely: Chardon Press, 1998

"The 1946 Sugar Strike." ILWU 146 Hawaii International Longshoreman and Warehouse Union 7 October 2011 .

1946: The Great Hawaiian Sugar Strike. Dir. Joy Chong-Stannard. Baseline Studio System, 1997

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Other Resources:

Center for Labor Education and Research
http://clear.uhwo.hawaii.edu/1946.html

Rise and Roses -Videos on different events in Hawaii also the documentary on The 1946 Sugar Strike.
http://clear.uhwo.hawaii.edu/riceroses.html