Ah Quon McElrath dedicated her life to the rights of working people. She was a tireless defender of the underdog whose efforts shaped the history of labor and social justice across the state.
She was a key organizer for the International Longshoremen's and Warehousemen's Union in Hawai'i during the 1940s and for several decades — and well past her official retirement in 1981 — McElrath stood as one of labor's most forceful voices.
In 1954, she became the ILWU's first social worker. She counseled members on substance abuse, mental health and other social problems. McElrath had a hand in legislative protection for the state's agricultural workers, low-cost community housing, improved public education and disability insurance.
Impressed by her drive, then-Gov. Ben Cayetano appointed McElrath to the University of Hawai'i Board of Regents in 1995. She served on the board for eight years.
The ILWU in 2003 said few of its members had given as much as McElrath. It praised her devotion to "militant, multicultural, democratic unionism in Hawai'i" and said her efforts had created a foundation for strong labor unity.
McElrath was born in Iwilei, one of seven children in a poor immigrant Chinese family. She got her first job at 13. When McElrath died in December 2008 at the age of 92, the union described her not only as its moral compass, but its conscience.
Reach Mike Gordon at mgordon@honoluluadvertiser.com.
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