Business briefs
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Retail transactions using checks increase
June retail sales paid with checks in Hawai'i increased 4.6 percent from last year, according to a retail index released yesterday by check acceptance company Telecheck Services Inc.
Hawai'i did better than the national average of 2.4 percent growth. Hawai'i's growth has outpaced the national average and led the Western region, with average growth of 2.1 percent, for more than a year.
TeleCheck's retail index is based on the dollar volume of checks at more than 27,000 of 272,000 stores nationwide using its services.
Checks account for about a third of retail spending, according to the Houston-based company. The company is a subsidiary of Denver-based First Data Corp.
Dole changes incorporation
Dole Food Co. Inc. dropped its incorporation in Hawai'i in favor of the more business-friendly state of Delaware. The reincorporation took effect Sunday.
"For many years Delaware ... has been a leader in adopting, constructing and implementing comprehensive, flexible corporate laws responsive to the legal and business needs of corporations," Dole said in a April 25 proxy statement explaining the change.
Dole Food Co. Inc. traces its roots in Hawai'i to James Dole's purchase of 61 acres of farmland in Wahiawa for $4,000 in 1900.
The company remains a major landowner in the state, although its headquarters was moved in 1972 to Westlake Village, Calif.
Kaiser workers to vote on deal
Kaiser Foundation Hospital and Health Plan employees represented by Local 5 of the Hotel Employees and Restaurant Employees Union will vote on a new contract this week. A tentative settlement was reached Saturday night, just hours before the old contract expired, the union said.
Under the proposed three-year pact, nearly 1,700 Kaiser employees on O'ahu, Maui and the Big Island will receive two raises of 3 percent, followed by one of 4 percent. Licensed practical nurses will see their pay climb from $16.76 an hour to $18.50.
Local 5 also represents housekeepers, maintenance staff, pharmacy technicians, and others.
