Ameron workers
returning to their
jobs
Ameron Hawaii trucks were to deliver their first concrete today in two months, but isle building industry officials say it is not clear how long it will take for construction to get back on track.
Predicting how long it will take to recover is difficult, said Ron Taketa, financial secretary and business representative for the Hawaii Carpenters Union Local 745. "It depends on how quickly they can get cement."
"We're all relieved that it's over. All the attention is going to be focused on getting the industry back on its feet again," said Taketa.
Ameron Hawaii workers were to return to work this morning after Hawaii Teamsters and Allied Workers Local 996 members narrowly approved a contract Saturday. They had walked off the job Feb. 6, followed the next day by Teamsters at Hawaiian Cement.
Ameron produces more than half of Oahu's concrete, and Hawaiian Cement is the second-largest supplier. The combined strikes brought construction projects on the island to a halt.
Hawaiian Cement workers returned to work March 22.
Ameron's new contract will give workers a $4.20 hourly wage increase over five years. Workers will receive a $1 raise for each of the first two years, an 80-cent wage increase in the third year and a 70-cent wage increase in each of the last two years.
There will be no increase in medical premium co-payments in the first two years. However, co-payments will increase to 25 percent from 20 percent in the third year and then to 30 percent in the fourth and fifth years.
Ameron workers were scheduled to pour cement this morning at Ocean Pointe in Ewa and at the Wal-Mart and Sam's Club complex on Keeaumoku Street. A few Ameron quarry workers returned to work yesterday.
"We're getting cranked up. ... We're trying to get geared up for tomorrow," said Ameron Vice President George West.
Taketa noted that 1,000 members of the Hawaii Carpenters Union are unemployed, most due to the concrete strike.
"They would probably be phased in as the concrete becomes available. At this point in time, the demand far outweighs the supply," he added.
Taketa said companies such as Dick Pacific Construction Co. Ltd., Hawaiian Dredging Construction Co., Coastal Construction Co. Inc., Nordic Construction and A.C. Kobayashi Inc. were hurt by the strike.
"Being out for two months is going to be hard to make up for lost time," said Russell Young, president of A.C. Kobayashi. "There's only so much that can be done in a day to catch up."
The company laid off about 100 workers due to the strike.
"Now you have to start walking and jogging before you can run again. It's going to be a while before getting up to speed," said Young.
Like Taketa, Karen Nakamura, chief executive officer of the Building Industry Association, which represents 450 companies on Oahu, said the length of time for companies to recover from the strike is unknown.
"I really don't know how long it's going to take. It will depend on how long Ameron will get back on the production," said Nakamura.
She noted that the strike caused a ripple effect in the construction industry.
"For one concrete worker that didn't go to work, you have hundreds of workers that cannot go to work," said Nakamura. "For every contractor who got stalled on the job, they have to gear up again, call their men and plan all over and reschedule. All of that is time loss and time production dollars that has to be paid for twice."
Nevertheless, Nakamura said she is glad the strike is over.
"I was very happy because that means people will be getting back to work. Projects will start up again. The moneys that were lost were kept at a minimum. This could've gone on for months, and then it would've crippled the economy," she said.
Leroy Laney, professor of economics and finance at the Hawaii Pacific University, said, "If we don't see a recurrence, I don't think it will be a major blow to the economy."
"We've got a lot of construction coming down the pipe. Construction permit growth has been strong and will continue to fuel the industry."
The economy and the industry are in pretty good shape, he added. "If it had gone on for six months to a year, that would've been a lot more serious."