Rep Gil Keith-Agaran, Sen Shan Tsutsui & Rep Joe Souki

Talk Story in Wailuku

Saturday Night Live Take on Obstructionist Republicans  

Congratulations!
Gil Keith-Agaran Appointed District 9 Representative

Jan 14th. Gil Keith-Agaran was appointed to the late Bob Nakasone's seat in the Hawai'i legislature.  He is an attorney practicing in Wailuku and spent a decade in public service as Chair of the State Board of Land and Natural Resources, State Director of Labor and State Deputy Director of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, and as County Public Works Director.

He presently serves on the boards of the Maui Memorial Medical Center Foundation, the Maui Food Bank, the Maui Coastal Land Trust, the Tri-Isle Resource Conservation and Development Council, the Maui High School Community Council, and A Keiki's Dream.

"I'm honored, and I'm humbled by the appointment, especially because I admired and respected Bob so much," Keith-Agaran said. "He was one of the finest public servants Maui County has ever had. I hope to be able to accomplish half of what he was able to do."

Keith-Agaran said he already has his sights set on improving Maui's health care system, much as Nakasone did. He also said on Wednesday that he would like to see expansions and renovations to the island's schools, including a new Kihei high school.

Keith-Agaran has a J.D. from Boalt Hall School of Law, the University of California at Berkeley, and a B.A. from Yale College. He is married and is the guardian of a niece who is a senior at his alma mater, Maui High School.

What is the Employee Free Choice Act?

H.R. 800 (and S. 1041), the Employee Free Choice Act could well be the single most important piece of economic legislation winding its way through Congress.  The act, would require employers to recognize a union whenever a majority of works sign union cards.

The delays leading to the current NLRB-supervised secret ballot vote enable employers to harrass, fire or transfer organizers. During the increasingly prolonged lag between the initial card signing and the actual vote, management uses every means possible to intimidate, isolate, and harass the union's supporters. Most commonly workers are called away from their jobs and required to attend management-run meetings where they are subjected to anti-union harangues and videos.

At the meetings, which may take place daily in the weeks leading up to an NLRB election, management lays out a dire picture of what will happen if the union comes in: Workers will lose the right to talk to managers individually (not true); they will see their wages and benefits decline (emphatically not true); they will be stuck paying exorbitant dues (hardly); the company may have to move to Mexico ... Sorry, no questions or comments from the audience.

Most pro-union workers can withstand the company's mass captive audiences. Harder to resist are the one-on-one and small group meetings, where individual workers are grilled about their union allegiance for as many hours as it takes. During one union drive among truck drivers, management confronted workers one by one about personal issues like their credit ratings and family responsibilities. A lot of them finally broke down, and the union drive was defeated.  Read more

Note to the unions - with power comes responsibility.  Do what is pono. 

Congratulations to Our Democratic Winners

U.S Congress Mazie Hirono

State Sen Kalani English	Sen Roz Baker
State Rep Mele Carroll	State Rep Joe Bertram
State Rep Gil Keith-Agaran	State Rep Kyle Yamashita
State Rep Angus Mckelvey	State Repl Joe Souki
County Council Sol Kaho'ohalahala	County Council Mike Victorino
County Council Mike Molina	County Council Danny Mateo
County Council Gladys Baisa	Count Council Bill Medeiros
County Council Joe Pontanilla

Chair, Lance Holter with Maya
photo: www.mauialmanac.com

Maui's Senators Roz Baker, J. Kalani English and Shan Tsutsui

State Senator J. Kalani English Talks with Maui School Children

Congresswoman Mazie Hirono Elected Vice Chair of Congressional Progressive Caucus

The Progressive Promise:
Fairness For All

The Congressional Progressive Caucus offers the Progressive Promise for all. We believe in government of the people, by the people, and for the people. Our fairness plan is rooted in our core principles. It also embodies national priorities that are consistent with the values, needs, and hopes of all our people, not just the powerful and the privileged. We pledge our unwavering commitment to these legislative priorities and we will not rest until they become law.

1. Fighting for Economic Justice and Security in the U.S. and Global Economies
2. Protecting and Preserving Civil Rights and Civil Liberties
3. Promoting Global Peace and Security
4. Environmental Protection and Energy Independence

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