Concrete strike grows; construction hobbled
| • | Family was just getting by before strike |
| • | This time, public is on the sidelines |
By Dan Nakaso and Curtis Lum
Advertiser Staff Writers
Workers of a second O'ahu concrete company went on strike this morning, Day 2 of a labor walkout that has put much of the island's construction activity on hold.
Hawaiian Cement workers were to begin picketing the company's Halawa plant shortly after midnight, after talks broke down about 10:30 last night between the company and the Teamsters and Allied Workers Local 996.
The 70 Hawaiian Cement workers joined 160 Ameron Hawaii employees who went on strike 24 hours earlier, at 12:01 a.m yesterday.
That strike idled 103 Ameron Hawaii cement trucks and three Ameron plants yesterday. It also affected 70 to 100 construction projects islandwide.
Strike issues include proposals to increase medical costs for employees and reduce sick leave.
Ameron and union officials are scheduled to meet for a negotiating session at 5 p.m. today at the union's Kalihi headquarters.
George West, Ameron Hawaii's vice president of operations for O'ahu, yesterday said the company has told union leaders that it wants to talk.
"We've let them know, 'Give us a call and we can be there in 10 minutes.' We're ready, willing and able," West said. "They're just up the street here, three or four blocks away."
Meanwhile, no new talks were schduled in the Hawaiian Cement strike. The two sides sat down with federal mediator Ken Kawamoto at 6 p.m. yesterday, but ended talks without a settlement less than five hours later.
"While we're very disaapointed that the strike will be commencing at 12:01, tonight's session was very productive," said Michael Coad, vice president of Hawaiian Cement. "There were some good ideas passed across the table with the help of the mediator."
Teamsters President Mel Kahele said the union offered changes to its proposals but said "the company dug their heels in the sand and they're not willing to make any changes. ... Apparently the company is not willing to modify their benefit-package rollback."
Coad said the fact that the Ameron talks were resuming today might help the Hawaiian Cement strike picture. "Several of the issues are similar," he said. "Hopefully we can piggyback on any progress Ameron can make with their talks."
For the striking workers, the mood at Ameron's Sand Island operation was "real high, real up," said picket captain Sam Keli'iho'omalu.
Normally, Keli'iho'omalu would be driving an Ameron cement truck. Instead he found himself organizing a line of 17 striking concrete workers.
"We no look angry, we no look party," Keli'iho'omalu said. "We mean business."
Teamsters members were picketing Ameron sites at Kapa'a Quarry, Sand Island and Campbell Industrial Park.
West said crossing the Teamsters picket line to get to his Sand Island office was difficult.
West and the striking workers exchanged "good mornings and howzits," he said. But "it's not good to see the people on the picket line. These are people we work with daily."
From his office, West overlooked an Ameron operation that would normally be bustling with cement trucks and machinery.
Instead, there was almost no movement on the grounds. Inside the offices, some of the company's 52 nonunion employees worked on accounting tasks. Others, West said, were "doing minimum chores."
"We have no concrete deliveries and that means no work for our people," West said.
Ameron officials were getting calls of concern from construction companies and heard about masons being laid off and the fears of other trade unions that will be affected by a slowdown in construction.
When they got calls from customers, West said, Ameron officials told them: "We apologize for the disruptions to their business. We are keenly aware of the effect on their projects. We are doing our best to continue talks, get a resolution and get back to work."
The strike represents the first blip in what has been 18 months of excitement over Hawai'i's construction industry, which is projected to reach $5.4 billion this year.
Coad, of Hawaiian Cement, has gotten similar calls from people worried that a strike will slow down the pace of construction, which generated $3 billion last year.
"I would hope the pressure is just as intense on the union as it is on the company," Coad said. "We've received calls from customers, civic leaders, friends, encouraging us to stay on the table and resolve this matter. Everybody, the company included, is aware of the impact that a concrete strike would have on the construction industry, the economy. This would impact an awful lot of people."
Mike Chambrella, in-house counsel for the Teamsters, said he hasn't received any information about similar calls to the union.
The strike against Ameron, he said, "is going well. The members are in good spirits. We've gotten no cases of violence and we didn't expect any."
The Teamsters contracts with Ameron and Hawaiian Cement both expired on Dec. 31.
Top-scale employees earn $25 an hour. But the Teamsters' key sticking points for both companies involve increased medical costs for employees and reduced sick leave.
Ameron, which employs about 160 Teamsters, wants employees to pay 30 percent of their medical costs, up from 20 percent. Hawaiian Cement wants its 70 Teamsters members to pay 20 percent. They now pay nothing.
The union also wants to discuss reinstituting paid sick days at Ameron, which the company eliminated three years ago. Hawaiian Cement wants to reduce the amount of sick days by 50 percent.
Hawaiian Cement's medical, dental and vision plan costs $479 per month per employee, which the company pays. Hawaiian Cement has proposed raising employee pay by 30 cents an hour to help offset an employee contribution of about $95. The difference between the pay raise and employee contribution would cost employees about $28 per month, Coad said.
Hawaiian Cement, which Coad said has the highest labor costs in the market, needs to cut sick leave to remain competitive with Ameron, he said.
Reach Dan Nakaso at 525-8085 or dnakaso@honoluluadvertiser.com.
