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IN HAWAII

Hawaiian Air union to vote on deal today

Hawaiian Airlines' dispatchers will vote on concessions for the third time today following a tentative agreement worked out late Friday between Transport Workers Union Local 540 and the company's management.

The 25-member union, which has been asked by Hawaiian to accept $186,000 in labor cost reductions, previously rejected two agreements that had required the dispatchers to give up future pay. The latest agreement incorporates that issue with other ones and will result in some dispatchers eventually being furloughed, according to David Durkin, president of the TWU Local.

"This agreement will end up not requiring as many dispatchers in the future and, until everything works its way out, one or two will be furloughed," he said.

Durkin said the tentative agreement will require that the TWU coordinator, who makes decisions such as the substitution of aircraft when there's a mechanical problem, to revert back to being a dispatcher with the coordinator role becoming a nonunion position. The move also will help reduce overtime.

In addition, the union has given up a now-vacant training position which will be occupied by an outside vendor.

Ship bars Hong Kong travelers

Because of its precautions over the new disease SARS, Norwegian Cruise Line would not allow four travelers from Hong Kong to board its liner Norwegian Star in Honolulu on Sunday.

They were denied boarding because the shipping line is not accepting any passengers who have been in Hong Kong or elsewhere in China, or in Vietnam or Singapore, during the 10 days before the voyage.

Passengers are required to fill in a health questionnaire before boarding and theirs showed they fit the prohibition, said Susan Robison, a spokeswoman for the shipping line. The four were given a full refund, including airfare.

SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) originated in Asia. It has infected more than 3,100 people worldwide and killed at least 144.

ERS alternate investments do well

Callan Associates, the consultant for the state Employees' Retirement System pension fund, gave generally good marks yesterday to the alternate investment portion of ERS' overall $7.3 billion portfolio, but said that private equity and timber investments will continue to face tough conditions in 2004.

Alternate investments accounted for $248.7 million, or 3.4 percent, of ERS' portfolio in 2002.

The private equity portion, which includes venture capital, buyouts, special situations, subdebt and restructuring, had an invested value of $159 million at the end of last year, down from $178 million a year ago. Another $131 million was available as committed funds.

Callan said the private equity performance was "good" considering the stock market decline and compared with other equity programs started in the same time frame. The private equity investments, currently spread among 55 partnership investments, has lost 3.51 percent since inception in August 1997.

ERS' timber investments, meanwhile, have returned 16.2 percent since inception in September 1999 but just 0.14 percent over the past year. The value of four timber investments as of Dec. 31, 2002, was $88.4 million.

AROUND THE WORLD

Japan adds U.S., U.K. to SARS travel warning

Tokyo >> Japan added the U.S. and London, U.K. to its advisory warning travelers to take precautions against infection from severe acute respiratory syndrome.

Japan's foreign ministry has already asked people visiting Singapore, Hanoi in Vietnam, Toronto in Canada, Macau, Taiwan and the central Chinese province of Shanxi to gargle, wash their hands and take other measures to reduce the risk of infection. It also asked people to halt non-essential trips to Hong Kong and southern China's Guangdong province because of SARS.

The disease, which has infected more than 3,100 people worldwide and killed at least 144, is forcing Japanese airlines such as Japan Airlines System Corp. and All Nippon Airways Co. to halt some flights because of a fall in travel demand. About 16 million Japanese travel overseas each year.

Japan has no confirmed SARS cases.

Tourism to Guam plummeted in March

HAGATNA, Guam >> The number of tourists visiting Guam plunged 32 percent in March over the same time last year, and showed no immediate signs of bouncing back, island tourism officials said.

Some 68,269 tourists visited Guam last month, down from 100,077 during the previous March, the Guam Visitors Bureau count shows. The downturn cost the island economy an estimated $19 million in lost tourist-related business, according to the visitors bureau.

The deflated numbers were attributed to the war in Iraq and the spread of the severe acute respiratory syndrome.