West Coast dock shutdown doesn't worry Islanders

By Andrew Gomes
Advertiser Staff Writer

The shutdown of West Coast ports until tomorrow morning is not the first cargo disruption that the Islands have seen, and yesterday it wasn't raising everyone's anxiety levels.

Alan Nishimura, who has lived through more than 25 shipping strikes affecting delivery of goods to the Islands, took the news in stride.

"I figure it happens, it happens. Don't worry about it," he said of the disruption in cargo service to Hawai'i.

Nishimura, who lives in Kailua and works at Fred Rader Mill Supply, estimates he has endured at least 750 days of shipping delays from work stoppages affecting Hawai'i over the past 59 years.

"I've never run to the store just to stock up on supplies," he said. "I've raised three children in this fashion."

Some of the more dramatic cuts to the lifeline of container shipping companies that supply roughly 90 percent of the state's goods — the 100-day dock strike in 1971, and the longest, a six-month strike in 1949 — have left many in Hawai'i with indelible memories of supply shortages.

Even in 1978 amid West Coast dockworker negotiations that didn't result in a strike, Hawai'i distributors and retailers packed their warehouses and rented extra storage space for fear worried consumers would overbuy and stockpile goods.

During the last round of West Coast dockworker labor negotiations three years ago, a 72-hour strike notice issued by the Hawai'i dockworker union triggered runs on goods that emptied some supermarket shelves.

And again, three weeks ago, some consumers could be found at Costco, Safeway and other retail outlets buying extra staple items after it was announced that contract extensions were canceled for West Coast stevedores.

But local food distributors said then — and say now — that they have increased their inventories to ensure availability of goods for stores and consumers for up to several weeks.

Sheryl Toda, spokeswoman for Foodland Super Market Ltd., yesterday said those heightened inventory levels have been maintained.

"We are working extra closely with our suppliers to ensure we have adequate products that our customers want, including bathroom tissues, rice and canned meats like Spam," she said.

Sy Dang, the owner of Kunia Nail Center in Waipahu, didn't overload on household essentials earlier this month.

And the 34-year-old Waikiki resident said yesterday that he isn't about to go rushing to the supermarket just yet either.

"I think if it's just a couple days, it'll be OK for me," he said. "But if it takes longer, it may affect me and my business."

Reach Andrew Gomes at agomes@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8065.