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HAWAII

Safeway offering limited buyouts

Safeway Inc. is offering voluntary severance packages to some employees who work at the company's 19 stores statewide.

The offer is targeted at employees who have worked at Safeway for at least five years and make at least $10 an hour. But each offer is tailored individually, said Pat Loo, president of the United Food and Commercial Workers Union, Local 480, which represents Safeway employees.

Loo said Safeway negotiated the option to make such an offer to some of its employees during the last contract talks in October.

"Part of their overall package was a possible buyout for people who either wanted to retire or change jobs. It would be at their discretion whether or not they would implement it," he said.

Loo said Safeway contacted him last week about exercising its option. This week the company sent letters to employees and is holding informational briefings.

Safeway employs about 1,600 people statewide but is offering the voluntary severance packages to about 550 people in the hopes that about 120 of those employees, about 23 percent, may take them up on the offer, Loo said.

The package may work for some people who are very close to retirement or people who were planning a job change anyway. But Loo said he believes few people will take the company up on its offer. "We don't think it will fly. We have been at the meetings and we've been hearing most people are not impressed," he said.

Loo said Safeway has made voluntary severance offers before in other areas.

"This is not new. We know they've done this before in several other places like Canada and they plan to do it in other places as well," he said.

Loo said if enough people accept the severance offer, the company would then save money in hiring replacements.

"Anytime you get a new work force the company gets a break because those new employees will now start at the bottom," he said.

Officials from Safeway's California headquarters did not return calls for comment.

Eddie Bauer closes out with sale

Eddie Bauer will hold a closing sale beginning today at its Ala Moana Shopping Center outlet. The retailer is closing 60 stores as a part of the bankruptcy reorganization of its parent company, The Spiegel Group.

The company announced the closures last month.

Sales will continue at all stores slated for closure until all merchandise has been sold, the company said. The stores are offering discounts off the lowest ticketed prices on clothing, accessories and home furnishings for men and women.

MAINLAND

Poll finds few in U.S. to halt travel

WASHINGTON >> Most Americans aren't going to let worries about terrorism and the economy interfere with vacation travel plans this year, an Associated Press poll found. They are, however, more likely to drive than before the Sept. 11 attacks.

Four of five in the AP poll said problems with the economy and terrorism will have no effect on their vacation plans. Some others said they would postpone or cut back vacation travel, but only one in 20 said he would cancel those plans, according to the poll conducted for the AP by ICR/International Communications Research of Media, Pa.

The number vacationing by car was about six in 10. Just over a fourth, 27 percent, said they would travel by plane.