[ OUR OPINION ]

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Proposal won’t solve
all TheBus’s woes

THE ISSUE The Teamsters Union and OTS have reached tentative agreement on a contract.

ALTHOUGH a tentative agreement between striking workers and Oahu Transit Services is certainly a relief for riders, motorists and TheBus employees, the long-term financial viability of the system remains in question.

Even with the fare increases approved earlier this week, revenue losses from the 31-day strike combined with any raises in pay and pension benefits -- no matter how small -- will affect operating costs already skimming the margins.

The five-year proposal offers no wage increase for the first three years, and wage increases totaling 50 cents in the fourth year and 65 cents in the fifth year. Pensions will increase by 10 cents every six months during the third, fourth and fifth years.

Members of Teamsters Local 996, who walked off their jobs Aug. 26, likely will ratify the contract proposal when they meet tomorrow. Although Jim Santangelo, a union official from the mainland, seemed displeased with the proposal -- "It's never enough money," he declared -- transit workers should concede that they have had scant public support during the strike. The deal, which promises no layoffs or cuts in benefits, may be the best they can expect as the city struggles with budget shortfalls and other demands.

The strike, which was timed to coincide with the start of fall classes at many public and private schools and the University of Hawaii, forced riders to scramble and worsened traffic congestion. The city set up shuttles and free parking areas; motorists carpooled, biked and even walked to their destinations. But the massive gridlock the union hoped would buttress its cause never materialized, and public opinion turned against the walk-out.

Meanwhile, the City Council, faced with a $6.8 million shortfall for bus operations, debated several formulas before approving fare hikes Wednesday. But even as it cleared the increases, the Council acknowledged that they may not be enough.

In July, when adult cash fares were raised by 25 cents and monthly bus passes went up $3, the number of riders dropped and so did revenue. Since the strike, people who used to ride the bus may have found other ways to get around and others may reduce the number of trips because of the fare increases.

"It is very difficult to estimate how much revenue we're going to raise," Council chairman Gary Okino said of the fare increases. "I suspect we will be back revisiting this." For those who depend on the bus, those are distressing words. If the contract proposal forbids layoffs and service cuts and raises pay or benefits, riders can expect more fare hikes if revenues fall short of projections.

It may be time for city officials to review its contract with OTS and rethink how it provides public transportation. There may be a better way.

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Cemetery resolution
will take compromise

THE ISSUE Majority stockholders have relinquished ownership of Honolulu Memorial Park.

IF NOTHING else, the abandonment of Honolulu Memorial Park by its majority stockholders moves the dispute about the cemetery toward resolution. However, sorting out the legal and financial entanglements that have accrued through the years may take some doing. Owners of plots and niches in the cemetery's deteriorating pagoda will need to be patient and work with each other if they hope to continue operations.

Richards family members, who held 90 percent interest in the cemetery, relinquished their holdings earlier this week, after closing the facility Sept. 5, saying they could not afford to keep it running. The park has been in bankruptcy since December 2001. In February its owners decided to demolish the landmark pagoda, which holds 1,765 niches, rather than take on a $1 million renovation.

The decision sparked protests from niche-holders who want the pagoda restored, a point of dispute among those who have family members and loved ones buried or inurned in the park. Another hitch is that another person, Nils Katahara, still holds a 10 percent interest in Honolulu Memorial. Other complications involve a nonprofit entity set up to collect donations for perpetual care of the cemetery, two groups made up of plot and niche owners, and the bankruptcy proceeding itself.

Meanwhile, the cemetery's offices have been locked, phones and water turned off, employees laid off and trash pickup discontinued.

Whatever plan emerges in reorganization of the cemetery's operations will no doubt be costly. The Richards family had pegged bare-bones maintenance at between $5,000 and $6,000 a month and if the pagoda is to be repaired, plot and niche owners will have to raise funds.

Honolulu Memorial has had troubles in the past. The pagoda had been accruing city fines of $50 a day for failing to meet safety standards, and the cemetery's license lapsed in December 1999. Two years earlier, the state sued Honolulu Memorial and its officials for charging plot buyers thousands of dollars extra for maintenance fees years after they were purchased, and operating without a license from Jan. 1, 1992 through September 1997.

All in all, the cemetery has not been a peaceful resting place. When stakeholders meet this weekend, they may be able to design a plan to keep the cemetery operating for the long term.