Union head says
Ameron deal nearThe union backs off its position
Teamsters Local 996 and Ameron Hawaii edged closer to settlement, union negotiator Mel Kahele said last night.
Settlement of the concrete strike at Ameron is not far off, union President Kahele said.
"We moved off our position basically because there's thousands of people affected," Kahele said.
The union originally wanted Ameron workers to pay nothing for medical insurance premiums.
The union representing striking concrete workers agreed to make 10 percent of medical premium payments, while Ameron wanted 30 percent paid by employees. Ameron employees now pay 20 percent of their medical premiums.
Union negotiators said they believed the company would come back with a counterproposal last night, but Ameron Vice President George West said they will return to the table tomorrow with a counterproposal.
The talks lasted six hours, and that was a good sign, West said. "We're pleased we're still talking."
The strike, which began Feb. 6 for 144 Ameron Hawaii workers and Feb. 7 for some 67 Hawaiian Cement workers, has crippled the state's booming construction industry, and forced layoffs for construction workers.
Benefits such as medical premium co-payments and sick leave have continued to be sticking points.
Talks were scheduled to resume at 10 a.m. today with Hawaiian Cement.
The strike is into its sixth week and taking its toll. The state Labor Department is seeing a jump in unemployment claims.
The department received 1,063 total claims in unemployment for last week (the week ending March 13) compared with 850 claims a week the first four weeks of the strike.
"We have to attribute a large portion to the concrete strike," said James Hardway, special assistant to the director of the Labor Department.