New bus talks
not likely this weekOTS officials reiterate
a willingness to meet any time
to help bring the strike to an end
The bus strike may head into its fourth week as sources for Local 996 of the Teamsters Union said there will likely be no new negotiations until next week.
CORRECTION
Saturday, Sept. 13, 2003>> Mayor Jeremy Harris did not refer to Teamsters Local 996 President Mel Kahele winning by a narrow margin in a union election three years ago. A Page A3 article yesterday about the bus strike mistakenly attributed background information about the election to the mayor.
The Honolulu Star-Bulletin strives to make its news report fair and accurate. If you have a question or comment about news coverage, call Editor Frank Bridgewater at 529-4791 or email him at fbridgewater@starbulletin.com.
Talks between the Teamsters and Oahu Transit Services Inc., the company which runs the city's bus service, broke off Wednesday night, and no new talks have been scheduled since then.
OTS officials said last night they had not heard any such news from the Teamsters but reiterated that if the union wanted to, they would be willing to meet again either today or sometime during the weekend.
"That's a fair statement," said OTS chief negotiator Perry Confalone said last night.
In response to questions about bus negotiations breaking down for the fifth time since the strike started Aug. 26, Honolulu Mayor Jeremy Harris blamed union leaders yesterday for continuing a citywide bus strike.
"I'm hoping the bus drivers are realizing that they're being victimized," he said. "I hope the bus drivers realize the Teamsters are not looking out for their best interest."
"They're concerned about their own re-election. ... They're putting the bus drivers and bus riders through hell," Harris said, noting that the union will hold an election in November.
Three years ago, President Mel Kahele won by less than 100 votes, the mayor said.
Union officials could not be reached last night for a response to Harris' comments.
The last three-year contract proposal on the bargaining table from the union included a wage freeze for the first year and a 50 cents-per-hour wage and 50 cents-per-hour pension increase for each of the remaining two years. A source close to the negotiations said the union had also floated a proposal for a wage freeze for the first and second years along with a $1-an-hour wage and $1-an-hour pension increase for the third year but had not officially put that offer on the table.
OTS's last offer included one with a 90-day "cooling-off" period, during which bus employees would go back to work while negotiations continued. Another proposal by management included a wage freeze for the first two years with a provision to reopen talks about wages in the third year.
During Wednesday's negotiations, Confalone said the union had rejected the 90-day cooling-off proposal.
State and city officials have provided other types of public transportation such as shuttle vans and school buses.
Beginning today, the city will provide vans to help residents get to medical appointments.
The shuttles will begin at Chinatown Gateway Plaza and stop at Kaiser Permanente's Honolulu clinic, Straub Hospital and Queen's, Kuakini and St. Francis medical centers. The service will run from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. during weekdays.
Those interested in the service should inform a dispatcher at the plaza.
The city will continue its Saturday bus shuttle service.
The free shuttles will begin running at 7 a.m. on circular routes with no exact schedules. Six of the routes will circle through Chinatown Gateway Plaza, while one shuttle will hit stops on the North Shore and Windward Oahu. The North Shore route will travel from the North Shore Market to Kaaawa and Windward Mall.
The other shuttles will stop at points in Ala Moana, Waikiki, Kalihi, Waianae, Ewa Beach, Waimanalo, Kailua, Kaneohe, Wahiawa, Mililani and Salt Lake.
For more information on the city's shuttles, go to www.co.honolulu.hi.us/dts/strike.
