Young Brothers,
union reach deal

Dockworkers will vote
on the three-year agreement
later this month

By Russ Lynch
Star-Bulletin

Interisland barge operator Young Brothers Ltd. said today it has reached agreement on a three-year labor pact with the union representing its nearly 200 dockworkers, the International Longshore & Warehouse Union.

Union representatives were not immediately available for comment. Young Brothers said the terms of the agreement will not be disclosed until after the union members vote on the proposed contract later this month.

"We're pleased with the agreement," said Glenn K.Y. Hong, Young Brothers president. "It's fair and it means uninterrupted barge service to our neighbor island customers."

Earlier, unhappy with what they saw as a lack of progress toward a new contract, the ILWU members halted barge service July 9 and 10 when about 100 workers stayed home and called in sick.

Talks continued, however, with union bargainers armed with a members' vote authorizing them to call a strike if necessary. Both sides kept silent about progress until today's announcement.

The previous contract expired at the end of June last year and was extended with each side having the right to cancel on 72 hours notice.

Negotiations began in January. Young Brothers said some issues were resolved before the sickout and the strike vote, but not the major cost factors of pension benefits and wages.

Increased costs could mean higher interisland freight rates. Young Brothers already has a case before the Public Utilities Commission seeking an 8.2 percent general rate increase and a PUC hearing is set for Tuesday. That application was based on costs before the newly negotiated contract deal.

Young Brothers is a unit of Hawaiian Tug & Barge Inc., which in turn is a wholly owned subsidiary of Hawaiian Electric Industries Inc.