Business Manager’s Message
Valentino B. Ceria
I would like to personally announce to the members that Local 675 has committed to supporting Josh Green as the next Governor of Hawaii and State Representative Sylvia Luke as Hawaii’s next Lt. Governor. After interviewing candidates for the respective positions, we feel they will best serve our interests and the State of Hawaii. At the endorsement ceremony for Josh Green last month, we made the annoucement along with some of our retirees attending. But it’s also important that our voices are heard in the ballot box.
Just to inform you that we have completed the sale of the Iwilei Training Building late last year. The Iwilei building was initially purchased with trust fund monies but over time due to low rate of return, was not generating the kind of income to adequately help support the funds, especially the Pension fund. The Board of Trustees needed to make the difficult decision to sell. The Iwilei Training Facility is currently in business as usual and renting the same space until a decision can be made about future operations. Restassured, besides the Iwilei location, we still have the Pearl City Training Facility and Honolulu Community College for classes.
I am happy to announce that we have increased the UA Local 675 Scholarship Fund awards from $1,000 to $1,500 for deserving high school seniors and prior year graduates whose parent, grandparent or legal guardian is a member of Local 675 in good standing. The scholarship application is now available here, so please take advantage of this opportunity. (See article on Scholarship Opportunities in this issue.)
Lastly, with more and more restrictions being relaxed, we hopefully may be able to hold our Holiday Christmas dinners at year-end. Let’s keep our fingers crossed and continue to practice safety measures. If you are medically able, please get vaccinated as well as boosted, and stay safe!