---

BACK TO TOP
|

HAWAII

VOTE! 2002 campaign takes Ilima award

The International Association of Business Communicators, Hawaii Chapter, presented its annual Ilima Awards yesterday to communications industry professionals.

Thirteen awards of excellence and 16 awards of merit were selected from 93 entries. Alan Tang of Olomana Marketing won the industry's top award, the Gold Quill for his "VOTE! 2002" campaign. Other awards of excellence went to Tina McNealey, Becker Communications; Bill Harby, HMSA; Ed Kalama Jr., Kamehameha Schools; Patricia Wood, Oceanic Institute; Harry Byerly, Hawaii Pacific University; Lisa Baxa and Paul Segawa, HMSA; Sandra Van, Van Communications; Barbara Sakato and Paul Segawa, HMSA; Lurline McGregor, Olelo; Karen Anderson, StarrTech Interactive, Nyssa Kushi, Hawaii Pacific University; and Tina McNealey, Becker Communications.

MAINLAND

United gets two new union pacts

United Airlines said late yesterday it had reached tentative agreements with flight attendants and dispatchers on new six-year contracts that would grant contract concessions sought by the airline, which is under bankruptcy protection.

The deals come a week after United reached agreement with its pilots' union on a tentative contract that would allow it to cut its operating costs by 30 percent and create a low-fare airline intended to compete with Southwest and JetBlue, among others.

United's 8,800 pilots are set to vote on their deal Friday. The agreement would grant $1.1 billion a year in concessions, the largest share of the $2.6 billion a year in wage and benefit cuts that United is seeking from its five major labor unions.

Terms of the agreement with the Association of Flight Attendants were not disclosed, but United said in a court filing that it was seeking $314 million in savings from its 24,000 flight attendants. The union for the flight dispatchers said the proposed contract would yield savings of $4.5 million a year from the 170 flight controllers.

FAO reorganization plan wins OK

Wilmington, Del. >> FAO Inc., owner of the FAO Schwarz and Zany Brainy toy-store chains, won court approval for its recovery plan, clearing the way for the company to emerge from bankruptcy.

Approval of the plan today by U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Lloyd King allowed the company to meet a deadline imposed by creditors and lenders to avoid liquidation. Now FAO's financing package requires the company to complete the plan by April 18.

FAO filed for bankruptcy protection in January in the face of competition for educational toy sales by discounters such as Wal- Mart Stores Inc. As part of its reorganization effort, FAO has closed some stores and fired workers. It also plans to sell toys at 245 Saks Inc. locations.

ASIA

Korean credit card firms raise cash

SEOUL>> South Korea's biggest companies and banks began pouring about $4 billion into their credit card companies yesterday as part of a government-driven plan to rescue them from bankruptcy and stave off an economic crisis.

Under intense government pressure, Samsung Electronics led the offensive, pledging to invest another $100 million in the Samsung Card Co. by the end of June in what it told shareholders was "the best course of action in what are difficult circumstances."

Other credit card companies joined the parade, disclosing some of their plans at a news conference staged by the Financial Supervisory Service, the regulatory body that instituted the plan. It calls for financial institutions to cover more than $8 billion in debts that are falling due this quarter on bonds issued by credit card companies.