The 1958–1959 Hawaiian Sugar Strike: Labor Unrest and the ILWU
In February 1958, thousands of sugar workers in Hawaii walked off the job under the ILWU banner, demanding a 25-cent hourly raise. The strike, which stretched into 1959, was marked by the unusual sight of strikers continuing to water the cane fields they had abandoned. Drawing on union newsletters, industry reports, and contemporary press coverage, this article reconstructs the conflict as it was experienced and reported at the time.