Teamsters, bus company back in negotiations

By Gordon Y.K. Pang
Advertiser Capitol Bureau

Union and company officials are going back to the bargaining table this morning in an effort to end the 25-day-old bus strike.

Santangelo

Kahele

The decision to return to to the bargaining table came on a day that began with Teamsters International official Jim Santangelo and local Teamsters leader Mel Kahele on the Perry & Price talk show on KSSK defending their position and engaging in verbal battles with critics of the union leadership.

That led to Mayor Jeremy Harris holding his own press conference challenging the union leaders to take the company's latest offer to the membership for a vote.

But it was the Teamsters who called for the negotiations today. Mike Chambrella, a Teamsters attorney, said yesterday afternoon that the union's negotiating committee was to determine in the evening whether there would be a change in position before today's negotiations.

Chambrella cited the arrival this week of California-based Santangelo, a top official in the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, as reason enough for the two sides to get together. "We're hoping that makes a difference to the company," Chambrella said.

Since arriving, Santangelo has pledged the parent union's full support to the local, including the possibility of raising the amount of strike benefits that striking members could receive.

Chief OTS negotiator Perry Confalone said he did not expect the company to arrive at the bargaining session with any new concessions.

In his press conference, Harris said there have been a growing number of phone calls and letters to the editor from people claiming to be bus employees that urge the union to accept the company's latest offer.

That three-year offer retains all current benefits for employees, but provides no pay or pension increases except for a reopening of negotiations that could lead to pay or pension increases in the third year. The union position accepts no pay or pension increases the first year, but wants 50-cent-an-hour increases in the second and third years in both wages and pension benefits, contingent upon City Council approval of money to pay for the increases.

Harris said he has no doubt that union members would vote to accept OTS' proposal.

"It's clear to me that most of the bus drivers want to get back to work," Harris said. "Most of the bus drivers are happy with that excellent contract that they have and they are happy with the fact that they can achieve a guarantee that they're not going to be laid off and they're not going to lose their benefits. They want to get back to work."

But both Santangelo and Chambrella said outside of an agreement to the union's demands, the leadership will not send an OTS proposal to members for a vote unless it is declared a "last, best and final offer" by the company. "Under normal circumstances, we take the last, best and final offer to the membership," Chambrella said.

Said Confalone: "We haven't decided to take that route as of yet, but if it helps to expedite a resolution, we may take that route."

The two sides and federal mediator Carol Catanzariti may be hoping that a change of venue will help bring a settlement. Since the strike began, negotiations have been held at the Blaisdell Center Exhibition Hall where activity could be easily monitored by news reporters. The Federal Building in Kaka'ako, where the talks will be held, is a secured building where media have had only limited access during previous union negotiations.

Salt Lake resident Barbara Koizumi, a daily bus rider, said she's hopeful the two sides can come to an agreement soon. "But I don't know if anything's going to happen, really," Koizumi said. "It seems like they're just going back and forth."

She said she suspects many bus drivers are at the point where they are ready to go back to work and she hopes those voices are being heard. "Has the union been asking them how they feel?" she asked.

Another bus rider said he has stopped caring about when the strike is resolved. While Makiki resident Charles Carole said he likely will go back to riding TheBus when service resumes, he has managed without it by riding the city's makeshift van service and simply walking more.

Asked what he thought about the union and management going back to the bargaining table, Carole said: "My reaction is I think the bus drivers can take a hike. Let them walk more."

Reach Gordon Y.K. Pang at gpang@honoluluadvertiser.com or at 525-8070.