CINDY ELLEN RUSSELL / CRUSSELL@STARBULLETIN.COM
Larry Nartatez roofed the storage shed yesterday that he and other carpenters are building as part of a community service project at Kaneohe Elementary School.
Carpenters suffer
with concrete strikeUnion officials expect more
layoffs as the walkout continues
Carpenter Joey Boy Rivera, 26, has been building concrete forms for the Albert Kobayashi Co. at Hokua Tower in Ala Moana.
Wednesday was his last day, because they can't do any more work without concrete, he said. And the concrete hasn't been coming for a month, since Teamsters at state's two largest suppliers, Hawaiian Cement and Ameron Hawaii, went on strike.
Rivera said he hopes his layoff doesn't last more than two weeks. In the meantime, he'll spend time at home in Waipahu with his children, ages 4 years and 5 months.
The strike hit the wallets of more union carpenters last week, as some construction employers laid them off.
Carpenter's Union Local 745 isn't tracking how many members are laid off their current jobs since the strike began, but there are indications that the effect is growing, Ron Taketa, union financial secretary, said yesterday.
"It has affected us and it'll get worse. Eventually the trickle of work we have will stop," he said.
About 200 of 5,800 carpenter's union members are listed as actively seeking work, Taketa said. But that doesn't include carpenters who have had been laid off a current job and are expecting to be called back, he said.
CINDY ELLEN RUSSELL / CRUSSELL@STARBULLETIN.COM
Rex Libanag offered support while coworkers secured roofing on a storage shed. Pictured with him are Rodel Viernes and Jay Galinato.
"A lot of our members are just staying home," waiting the strike out, Taketa said.
For example, three of 11 apprentice carpenters working yesterday on a community project at Kaneohe Elementary School have been laid off their jobs -- two just this week, said instructor Kimo Ing.
That's probably indicative of the industry as a whole, Ing said. About a third of carpenters on his job with Coastal Construction Co. at Haseko's Ocean Pointe development have been laid off since the concrete strike began. Those remaining are working 32-hour weeks instead of the usual 40 hours, he said.
Talks between Hawaiian Cement and the Teamsters are set to resume Tuesday at 2 p.m. Ameron is expected to return to the negotiating table Thursday, but the date has not yet been confirmed by federal mediator Ken Kawamoto.
With huge military construction projects planned over the next five years and commercial and residential building in full swing, industry observers have been predicting a need for more skilled workers.
The Hawaii Carpenters Union Local 745 accepts new apprentices twice a year, in the spring and fall. There are currently 1,200 apprentices, but the union plans to increase the number in anticipation of large military building projects and continued housing construction, Taketa said.
The number of apprentices is up about 80 percent from two years ago, Taketa said, as the industry prepared for an increase in construction.
Another change coming for carpenters is the military's decision to use metal framing on all its upcoming housing projects, Taketa said. In addition to training apprentices in metal framing, the union will be teaching journeymen carpenters that skill -- and will need more classroom space than is available at Honolulu Community College now.
The union plans to build a 10,000-square-foot classroom at Barbers Point, where they will be able to hold classes all week long, instead of just on Saturdays, Taketa said. The union hopes to have that building constructed this summer, he said.
Carpenter's apprentice applicants must have a high school diploma or equivalent, pass a standard math exam and an oral interview, and be able to lift 75 pounds. Apprentices who are accepted into the program attend classes once a week and work full-time at a carpentry job, under a journeyman's supervision.
Apprentices start at 40 percent of a journeyman carpenter's wage of $31.50 an hour and work their way up to full pay over the course of four or five years.
For information about applying, call 848-0794 on Oahu; 245-8511 on Kauai; 242-6891 on Maui; 935-8575 in Hilo; and 329-7355 in Kona.
Star-Bulletin reporter Mary Vorsino contributed to this report.
