Inlandboatmen's Union members starting picketing yesterday morning at the Nimitz Highway entrance of Young Brothers.
Barge workers
squeeze shippingBusinesses look to send
interisland cargo via air,
but the higher cost will
hit consumersStriking workers demand
contracts that would require
them to work only half the yearPicketer in hospital after auto accident
Some wholesalers opting for air freight
Cruise ship sails on despite strike
Neighbor island residents began stocking up on supplies yesterday after a strike by tugboat and barge workers disrupted cargo shipping from Honolulu to ports around the state.
Businesses also hurriedly booked expensive space on interisland cargo flights to transport perishable items at higher costs that might get passed on to local consumers.
"There will probably be a shortage of some perishable items on the neighbor islands, but we are looking into flying some of those items there," said Sheryl Toda, a spokeswoman for Foodland Super Market.
Interisland barge operator Young Brothers Ltd. halted departures from Honolulu that were due to service Maui, the Big Island, Kauai and Lanai, after 60 union employees began striking the company and its sister firm, Hawaiian Tug & Barge, at dawn yesterday.
Contract talks between the Inlandboatmen's Union of the Pacific and the two companies broke down late Wednesday night in a dispute over paid time off.
The strike is not expected to significantly affect the supply of mainland goods to Hawaii since Matson Navigation Co., the state's largest ocean transportation leader, is unaffected by the dispute.
But a strike for any prolonged period could have a severe impact on Molokai and Lanai, which rely heavily on Young Brothers for their shipping.
Kevin Misaki, general manager of Misaki's grocery in Kaunakakai, Molokai, said he and other grocers were running short of rice. On Lanai, shoppers at the Pine Isle Market hoarded rice, prompting store officials to place a limit on purchases, general manager Kerry Honda said. Honda said the store ran out of milk but plans to have some flown in.
In the talks on a new four-year contract, Young Brothers and Hawaiian Tug & Barge had offered to pay 100 percent of employee health premiums and increase pension contributions and pay for their crews, which earn salaries averaging $69,000 a year.
But the talks snagged on the issue of how much accrued time off workers should have. Tugboat operators and crew members now get four hours of paid time off for every eight hours they work, which means they work about eight months of the year and get paid for 12 months. But the union wants the paid time off to increase to eight hours for each eight worked.
Jonathan Lono Kane, regional director for the union, said crews typically work as long as two months straight with just one day off each week, posing a safety hazard.
"Tired crews make mistakes," he said.
A rainbow appeared over the city buildings of Honolulu yesterday afternoon as members of the Inlandboatmen's Union picketed at Nimitz Highway at the entrance of Pier 19.
But the companies said the demand was "unreasonable," and countered with six hours off for every eight worked."How fair does it look compared to all the rest of us who have to work 12 months out of the year? We thought we made them a fair offer," Young Brothers Vice President Lisa Sakamoto said.
The union also was upset with a management proposal to mitigate the cost of the extra time off by reducing boat crews to five members from six.
The IBU, the marine division of the International Longshore & Warehouse Union, was not required to give advance notice of the strike, which caught many off guard. Picket lines were set up at piers 20, 24 and 40, where Young Brothers and Hawaiian Tug & Barge operate a fleet of 10 barges and 13 tugs.
Gov. Linda Lingle said her chief of staff, Bob Awana, would be in contact with both parties, which were not talking as of late yesterday.
"Obviously it's an extremely important issue, especially to people on the neighbor islands," Lingle said.
Sakamoto said Young Brothers and Hawaiian Tug & Barge were working to "staff up" the stalled barge departures with company managers to "get things moving," possibly as early as today.
"We need to get that stuff out, especially to Lanai," she said. Perishable items on the stalled barges were in refrigerated units.
Lanai, a private island mostly owned by Castle & Cooke Inc., relies entirely on barges towed by Young Brothers. The barge that was to depart Honolulu late Wednesday for Lanai is laden with items including watermelons, fireworks, a sound system and lion dance costumes for Castle & Cooke's Pineapple Festival, which was scheduled for tomorrow.
"If (the strike) doesn't get resolved in a quick manner, it's going to be a problem," said Matthew Hart, executive vice president of resorts for Castle & Cooke Resorts.
Stu Glauberman, a spokesman for Aloha Airlines, said the carrier starting receiving "a lot of calls" yesterday from businesses hoping to ship their goods via air cargo. But he said planes were already largely fully booked ahead of the Fourth of July holiday, and most of the callers would have to wait until next week.
The Maui Farmers' Cooperative Exchange was able to start shipping some of its produce by air, but at three times the cost of ocean shipping, said general manager Paula Rafanan.
"If the strike holds out longer, it's going to hit all of us in the pocket," said Rafanan, who estimates her group normally ships out 90 tons of produce each week.
Little immediate impact was seen on Kauai or the Big Island, but retailers warned consumers could feel the crunch in coming days if the strike persists.
On Kauai a representative for Wal-Mart said the store's goods are brought in by both Young Brothers and Matson. The strike has not yet affected Wal-Mart, but it will, the Wal-Mart representative said.
The itinerary for passengers on the inaugural cruise of Norwegian Cruise Line's Pride of Aloha is not expected to be affected by the strike, a company spokesman said. Passengers arrived in Kauai yesterday, and the ship was scheduled to depart at 6 last night, arriving in Honolulu today.
Star-Bulletin reporters Gary Kubota, Gregg K. Kakesako, Rod Thompson and Anthony Sommer, and the Associated Press contributed to this report.BACK TO TOP |
Picketer in hospital
A 36-year-old man picketing at the Auiki Street entrance to Young Brothers was struck by a woman driving a Chevy Silverado truck yesterday morning.
after auto accidentThe accident occurred shortly after 9 a.m. while picketers were in the crosswalk.
Other picketers said the driver was aggressive and allegedly drove around a car before striking the picketer.
The man was taken by ambulance to Kaiser Medical Center, Moanalua, in stable but serious condition, an Emergency Medical Services official said.
Picketers said the victim was flat on his face and suffered a back injury.
Star-Bulletin staff
