SSCR912

STAND. COM. REP. NO. 912

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: GOV. MSG. NO. 536

Honorable Donna Mercado Kim

President of the Senate

Twenty-Eighth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2015

State of Hawaii

Madam:

Your Committee on Judiciary and Labor, to which was referred Governor's Message No. 536, submitting for study and consideration the nomination of:

Deputy Director of the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations

G.M. No. 536

LEONARD HOSHIJO,

for a term to expire 12-3-2018,

begs leave to report as follows:

Your Committee has reviewed the personal history and resume submitted by the nominee and finds Leonard Hoshijo to possess the requisite qualifications to be nominated as the Deputy Director of the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations.

Your Committee received testimony in support of the nomination of Mr. Hoshijo from the Governor; Department of Labor and Industrial Relations; Department of Budget and Finance; Department of Transportation; University of Hawaii Professional Assembly; International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Local Union 1186, AFL-CIO; Hawaii Construction Alliance; Hawaii Laborers-Employers Cooperation and Education Trust; Hawaii State AFL-CIO; Hawaii State Teachers Association; International Longshore and Warehouse Union, Local 142; International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers Local #1 of Hawaii; Hawaii Government Employees Association, AFSCME Local 152, AFL-CIO; General Contractors Association of Hawaii; Marine Engineers' Beneficial Association, AFL-CIO; Hawaii Regional Council of Carpenters; Ralph S. Inouye Co., Ltd.; Automated HealthCare Solutions; Laborers' International Union of North America Local 368; Alexander & Baldwin, Inc.; Hawaiian Dredging Construction Company, Inc.; Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, Hawaii Local; Hawaii Operating Engineers Industry Stabilization Fund; and twenty-five individuals.

Mr. Hoshijo obtained his Bachelor of Arts degree from Antioch College and a P.Ed. degree from the University of Hawaii. After college, he worked for the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU), Local 142, for twenty-six years. At the ILWU, he served in various positions, including as a Housing Representative, Organizer, International Representative, and International Vice President. He carried out an assortment of responsibilities, such as assisting working families and retirees with achieving affordable homeownership and developing rental housing for individuals who were unable to purchase a home; organizing workers for collective bargaining and engaging in reaching collective bargaining agreements; supporting state assistance for agricultural and tourism employers; taking part in educational programs for member volunteers; conducting contract negotiations; conducting internal democracy processes; and administering joint ILWU Local 142 and International union programs. Of particular note, during his tenure at ILWU, he spearheaded the development of six affordable rental housing projects statewide for low income seniors and families as well as the transformation of plantation housing to homeownership.

Mr. Hoshijo currently serves as the Education and Political Director for the Hawaii Regional Council of Carpenters where he has been since 2001. As part of the central staff, his teamwork accomplishments include conducting member education programs on origins and services of the union and the importance of government in their livelihood and conducting research, internal governance and operational procedures, and contract administration. Of particular note, he participated in the successful contract negotiation for project labor agreements with military housing developers that privatized military housing to ensure that homes for Army, Navy, Marines, and Air Force families would be built efficiently for fifty years at area standard wages for construction workers.

Mr. Hoshijo is involved in community activities by serving as a director or officer for various low income rental housing nonprofit corporations, including the Hawaii Housing Development Corporation, Jack Hall Kona Memorial Housing Corporation, Waipahu Jack Hall Memorial Housing Corporation, Ewa Housing Foundation, Kohala Union Housing Corporation, Ka‘u Housing Corporation, and Jack Hall Hawaii Housing Corporation. He also serves as a member of the Labor Education Advisory Board of the University of Hawaii Center for Labor Education and Research as well as a director and officer for the Hawaii Labor Heritage Council.

Testifiers in support of the nominee indicate that Mr. Hoshijo has worked collaboratively with employers, government officials, and community organizations. He analytically addresses issues by considering all points of view to find a common ground and acting accordingly. He has a firm working knowledge of the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations, which will be especially important as a new Director of Labor and Industrial Relations has yet to be nominated. He has the skills, knowledge, temperament, and experience to assist in leading the Department.

Your Committee finds that Mr. Hoshijo is qualified to serve as the Deputy Director of the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations. He possesses the intelligence, knowledge, experience, and demeanor to be an effective Deputy Director.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Judiciary and Labor that is attached to this report, your Committee, after full consideration of the background, experience, and qualifications of the nominee, has found the nominee to be qualified for the position to which nominated and recommends that the Senate advise and consent to the nomination.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Judiciary and Labor,

________________________________

GILBERT S.C. KEITH-AGARAN, Chair