Bus workers to rally at Capitol, Honolulu Hale
By Johnny Brannon
Advertiser Staff Writer
Faced with what appears to be growing dissent in their ranks and dwindling public support, striking Honolulu bus workers plan to rally this afternoon at the State Capitol and City Hall.
Some members of the Teamsters and Allied Workers Local 996 have openly challenged the union's leadership during the strike that has shut down O'ahu's public bus system, while others remain solidly committed to the picket lines.
The number of Teamsters and backers who show up at the rally could help illustrate how much support the strike retains on its 25th day. It could also give the strikers a needed morale boost as negotiations resume today with the O'ahu Transit Services bus company.
The Teamsters will keep some strikers on the picket lines but about 800 rank-and-file members are expected at the 2 p.m. rally, along with many more from other unions, Teamsters attorney Mike Chambrella said.
"The gist of it is to remind government officials that we're out there, we're on strike, and the members would like to get back to work," he said, adding that the rally is also meant to strengthen solidarity.
It appeared from the start that the Teamsters membership was not solidly behind the strike. More than 1,300 workers walked off the job, but many never joined the picket lines.
Fewer than 400 Teamsters attended a Sept. 7 question-and-answer session at the union's headquarters, and the first member who spoke said she wanted to forget about demands for raises and go back to work.
It's difficult to accurately gauge Teamster membership support for the strike, but a rift seems to have grown as the union struggled to get out a cohesive message, said University of Hawai'i political science professor Ira Rohter, an expert on labor and politics in Hawai'i. "This has been poorly done from the beginning," he said. "It's almost a case study on how not to do a strike."
Rohter said he personally is a strong supporter of organized labor, but that the Teamsters' failure to clearly and consistently state their positions allowed their opponents to frame the debate.
"So instead, this thing gets spun in the direction of making them look like villains," he said.
The rally — the first major public attempt to show strength since the strike began — could be important to the union, Rohter said. Or it could backfire.
"It would be extraordinarily embarrassing if a lot people don't show up," he said. "A confident organization would make sure you have the troops all there. I would hope that they really are beating the bushes."
Mayor Jeremy Harris has stepped up his criticism of the union's leadership and made public appeals to the striking workers.
At a Wednesday news conference, he characterized the strikers as victims in the dispute and said they "got suckered into this strike" by "Teamster bosses who have made a terrible mistake."
One problem the union has faced is that picket lines outside bus facilities have low visibility, said Neal Milner, another UH political science professor.
"The bus drivers have really become invisible to the public," he said. "The bus yards are in a couple places, and it's not like your average person sees these picketers very much with the old horn-blowing as you go by."
That's a contrast to the 2001 statewide public school teacher strike, with pickets outside schools in nearly every neighborhood, he said.
"This will get media attention," Milner said of the rally, "and it will remind people that there's something going on. It's not all that clear that it's going to work to their benefit, because publicity-wise their backs are against the wall."
Reach Johnny Brannon at jbrannon@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8070.
