Press Room
Labor Unions Committed to Kapolei 
Oct 1, 2009
KAPOLEIFYI
Labor Unions Committed to Kapolei
Both Hawaii Carpenters and Operating Engineers
Open Facilities at Kapolei Business Park
With Oahu's growth steadily moving west to the Kapolei region, two construction industry unions have opened facilities there to bring services to its members, many of whom are and will be directly involved in building the City of Kapolei. Earlier this year, the Hawaii Carpenters Union unveiled its new training center at the Kapolei Business Park, and the Operating Engineers set up its headquarters at the recently acquired Hoku Scientific building.
High Tech Training Sharpens Carpenter Skills
The Hawaii Carpenters Union, which is the largest construction union in the state, sees training as an essential part of the service it provides its 7,500 members. To support this mission, the union constructed a strikingly modern $25 million, 56,000 square-foot training center in the Kapolei Business Park to provide training for both carpenter and drywaller apprentices and journeyworkers. The facility, which opened in May, was built in response to the increasing number of apprentices that outgrew the union's previously leased training facility in Kalaeloa, with room for possible future expansion.
"We have high-tech classrooms, state-of-the-art equipment, great skills training space, and comfortable meeting facilities all brought together in one facility that can inspire our members. We believe the investment in this facility and in our workers will pay off for years to come in the form of good skills for good jobs." said Ron Taketa, the union's financial secretary and business representative. "Even in this down economy, we believe this investment in our members and in Hawaii's future are absolutely essential to our sustainability and Hawaii's long-term economic health."
New Headquarters Brings Services Closer to Membership
With 86 percent of its more than 3,300 members living on the west side of the island, and the expectation that the heaviest load of Oahu's construction work will be concentrated in the region, Kapolei is an ideal site for the Operating Engineers Local Union No. 3. The union, whose members are the heavy equipment operators that prepare the land for construction, has been searching for larger facilities for the past three years when the Hoku Scientific building came on the market.
"The location and facility are perfect for us because it gives us plenty of space for all our administrative functions, and for meetings and orientation training for our apprentices," said Kalani Mahoe, the union's treasurer. "It also puts us closer to our membership and to the City of Kapolei, which is the largest source of future construction work."
For Mahoe, the Operating Engineers Union is also in the business of helping to build community. "When there's no money for repairing and improving community facilities, we work with other unions on projects like repairing sidewalks, parks, and track and football fields," he said. "Because most of our members live on the west side, they are proud to be able to give back to the community."
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