DEAN SENSUI / DSENSUI@STARBULLETIN.COM
Hawaiian Airlines' pilots pounded the pavement yesterday to protest company trustee Joshua Gotbaum's decision to suspend a payment to their pension plan.
Hawaiian Airlines
pilots picket suspension
of pension payment
Hawaiian Airlines' pilots staged an informational picket for two hours yesterday morning in front of Pauahi Tower in downtown Honolulu to protest trustee Joshua Gotbaum's decision to suspend a $4.25 million Sept. 15 payment to the pilots' pension plan.
As the pilots were picketing outside the building on Bishop Street, Gotbaum was inside meeting with the unsecured creditors' committee and Hawaiian's local union representatives to give them a status report of the ongoing Chapter 11 reorganization. Hawaiian filed for bankruptcy protection on March 21.
Gotbaum, who asked the court last month to suspend the federally required contribution to the pilots' pension plan, issued a statement yesterday addressing the issue.
"Everyone at Hawaiian Airlines is keenly aware of how important the pilots' pension plan is to their security," Gotbaum said. "What everyone must also recognize, however, is that Hawaiian Airlines is bankrupt and cannot afford to continue business as usual. We asked the court to defer our pension contributions to conserve our resources and provide time to negotiate with the pilots. Fortunately, the bankruptcy court agreed."
In actuality, though, U.S. Bankruptcy Court Judge Robert Faris postponed making his decision by giving the two sides until an Oct. 24 hearing to reach an agreement on the matter. In the meantime, Gotbaum is withholding the payment.
Gotbaum, in his statement yesterday, praised the employees.
"Hawaiian Airlines is an excellent airline in large part because all of its employees make it so," he said. "Reorganizing Hawaiian so that it is both excellent and profitable will require everyone's cooperation. If we do so, it will ensure that Hawaiian continues to provide jobs for its 3,000 employees and quality service to the travelers of Hawaii."
