Hanabusa wins more labor endorsements

U.S. Rep. Colleen Hana­busa racked up another union endorsement Monday, winning the backing of the Hawaii Building and Construction Trades Council in her bid to become governor.

The council represents more than 20,000 members of the Hawaii construction trade unions ranging from the Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers Local 1 to the Hawaii Teamsters and Allied Workers Local 996.

Hanabusa thanked union leaders at a press conference called to announce the endorsement at the Plaza Club in downtown Honolulu, and reminded listeners of the years she worked as a labor lawyer representing the Teamsters.

Council President Reginald Castanares, who is also business manager for the Plumbers and Fitters Local 675, said that “we put our trust in Colleen to guide our state to build a better tomorrow for our members and for the greater community.”

Last month Hanabusa won the endorsement of the Hawai‘i Regional Council of Carpenters, which is Hawaii’s largest construction trade union, with 7,000 members.

Hanabusa, who is challenging Gov. David Ige in the Democratic primary, has also been endorsed by the ILWU Local 142. The ILWU has nearly 18,000 members statewide working in a number of industries including tourism and agriculture.