Island dock deal reached
By Frank Cho
Advertiser Staff Writer
The union representing Hawai'i longshore workers has agreed to a new six-year contract with stevedoring companies, avoiding the public bitterness that characterized contract talks on the Mainland and brought West Coast docks to a temporary standstill last year.
The agreement, reached Saturday in Honolulu, will be twice as long as any previous Hawai'i dockworker contract and includes improvements in wages and benefits for roughly 400 Hawai'i longshore workers.
The Hawaii Employers Council, which represented the stevedoring firms, declined to discuss the details of the contract settlement with the International Longshore and Warehouse Union. The council represented four companies: Hawaii Stevedores Inc.; Matson Navigation Co.; HT&T Co.; and McCabe, Hamilton & Renny Co.
"We have been at this for six months, and I would have to say that unlike what happened on the West Coast, our meetings were very positive and constructive," said Tim Ho, president of the employers council. "Both sides worked really hard on this. The agreement is good for the state, and it is good for employers and employees."
About 10,000 West Coast union members were locked out of about 29 major West Coast ports for 10 days last fall because of what shipping lines believed was a coordinated union slowdown.
The action caused goods to pile up on docks. The West Coast contract talks didn't move forward until President Bush reopened the ports on Oct. 9 under the Taft-Hartley Act. Negotiators then struck a tentative deal on Nov. 23.
Ho declined to say how much the latest contract with Hawai'i dockworkers would cost employers or whether that cost would be passed on to consumers.
"We agreed not to discuss those things until there is a vote," Ho said.
Eusebio Lapenia, president of ILWU Local 142, said a union meeting is scheduled Jan. 17 and a ratification vote by rank-and-file members will probably be scheduled before the end the month. If approved by Hawai'i union members, the contract would have an effective date of July 1, 2002 through June 30, 2008.
Though both sides declined to discuss details of the settlement, it will probably be similar to the agreement covering the West Coast dockworkers.
West Coast longshore workers started voting Jan. 1 on their new contract. The agreement included improvements to their no-cost health insurance, a 60 percent increase in pensions, and raises that allow the average dockworker to earn between $80,000 and $100,000 a year. Ballots are scheduled to be counted Jan. 22.
If ratified, that contract will go into effect immediately, union spokesman Steve Stallone said.
Negotiations for the Hawai'i contract usually follow the completion of talks between shipping lines and West Coast longshore workers.
Island dockworkers typically seek wages and retirement benefits similar to those of their West Coast counterparts, but they may not always get the same items.
"It was the goal to improve the collective bargaining agreement, so everything was important to us," Lapenia said.
Hawai'i dockworkers have been working on a day-by-day contract extension since June 30 when the union agreed to continue working without disruption.
Individual stevedore companies did not return calls or could not be reached for comment yesterday.
Ocean transportation firm CSX Lines does not directly employ stevedores, contracting for them instead, primarily through Hawaii Stevedores, but the company said it was glad an agreement had been reached.
"We are happy the two sides have settled the contract. We have not seen the details of the new contract, so we cannot say what impact this will have on our costs," said Ku'uhaku Park, CSX Lines government affairs manager.
Contract talks are set to start again Jan. 14 for about 80 Hawai'i dockworkers who are still without a contract, Ho said.
The 80 include wharf clerks, mechanics and workers at Matson's container freight station and container yard.
Reach Frank Cho at 525-8088, or at fcho@honoluluadvertiser.com.
