Tugboat operators The last time Honolulu tugboat operators went on strike, in 1986, they took a pay cut when they came back to work. They are not likely to take a cut at the end of these negotiations whether the union goes on strike or not.
face possible
strike tomorrow
Negotiations are continuing
but the contract expires
at midnight tonightBy Rod Antone and Gary T. Kubota
rantone@starbulletin.com
gkubota@starbulletin.com"Negotiations are about give and take, and certainly they want increases in certain areas," said Bill Chung, vice president of personnel and industrial relations for both Hawaiian Tug & Barge and Young Brothers Ltd.
The 59 union members of the Inlandboatmen's Union is made up of workers from both sister companies, and voted Wednesday to authorize a strike. If both sides fail to reach an agreement before the contract expires today, a strike could take place tomorrow.
Chung said the latest proposal was delivered Thursday morning, but he refused to disclose details. Union officials also have been tight-lipped about negotiations.
"It's looking optimistic," said Chung yesterday. Chung said both sides met at 5:30 p.m. and were committed to staying "as long as it takes."
Several hours later, both sides were still at the negotiation table.
"We are in negotiations, and our intent is to try to settle this contract before the termination date, Saturday midnight," said Jonathan Lono Kane, regional director for the Inlandboatmen's Union.
The union's last strike was for 26 days, from June 8 to July 4, 1986, after which 120 union members ratified a three-year contract that called for a 6 percent cut the first year, stayed level the second year and increased pay 3 percent the last year.
"You've got to face the rest of the nation," said then-union head John Gouveia after ratification. "The nonunion is here, the competition is here, and to let the company continue and pick up more work ... we just had to do it."
Times have changed, however, and now labor sources say the union is looking for pay increases and pension benefits similar to those negotiated by the International Longshore & Warehouse Union, which is affiliated with and supports the Inlandboatmen's Union. The ILWU in 1999 ratified a three-year contract which increased pay by just short of 8 percent by mid-2001.
ILWU base wages increased from $25.12 an hour the first year to $27.12 an hour the final year. Pensions for ILWU members also were increased, going up to $90 per month in 2000 and increasing again this year to $95 a month per year of work, for a maximum pension of $39,990 a year.
In response Chung said that while the unions are affiliated, "the needs of ILWU and IBU are very different" and that proposals "are not similar."
During the 1986 tugboat workers strike, ILWU stevedores employed by Hawaii Stevedores Inc. honored the boatmen's picket lines and refused to work two barges belonging to Hawaiian Marine Lines. A federal court order, however, later ordered stevedores back to work.
Eusebio "Bo" Lapenia, president of ILWU Local 142, could not be reached yesterday on whether Oahu's 350 longshore workers would again honor picket lines at Honolulu harbors if contract negotiations fail.
A strike could cripple barge service to Lanai and Molokai, where some residents are already stocking up on rice and toilet paper. Molokai receives two interisland barge deliveries a week, and Lanai receives an interisland barge delivery once a week.
Other islands, such as Oahu, Maui, the Big Island and Kauai, are not expected to be as hard hit by a strike because they receive shipments directly from the mainland as well as interisland deliveries.
A number of businesses on Lanai and Molokai said a strike would seriously affect their operations because they do not keep a large inventory and the two islands do not have farms that supply perishable items, such as eggs and milk.
"I think it's going to affect us a lot," said Blossom Poepoe, manager of Kanemitsu Bakery & Restaurant on Molokai.
Poepoe said the bakery, which makes thousands of loaves of bread a week, keeps a limited supply of flour and sugar because of the need to keep the ingredients fresh.
"We just order week by week," she said.
Outpost Natural Foods cashier Robin Gorsich said a strike would be "devastating" because the business relies upon the barge to bring in perishable meat substitutes and soy products for its Molokai customers.
"We have a very small warehouse. It's really important to get it fresh," Gorsich said.
Jonna Hoopai, a Hotel Molokai employee, said the island has no wholesale distributors and a strike would push up the cost of fresh products to prohibitive levels.
"We can't afford to fly things in," Hoopai said.
Kerry Honda, the manager of Pine Isle Market, said the store was not expecting a strike and usually purchases food items weekly.
But he is still hoping the strike will be settled.
"If worse comes to worst, we'll fly things in," Honda said.