Lingle enters concrete dispute
By Peter Boylan
Advertiser Staff Writer
Gov. Linda Lingle will hold informal meetings with officials on both sides of the concrete strike today, the first such action taken by the state's top executive to try and remedy the 25-day-old work stoppage.
Talks broke off Wednesday between Hawaiian Cement and striking members of the Hawai'i Teamsters and Allied Workers Local 996. No talks have been held between the Teamsters and Ameron Hawaii, O'ahu's other major concrete company, since Feb. 7.
The governor will hold separate talks with representatives from both sides starting today, said spokesman Lenny Klompus.
George West, Ameron's vice president for manufacturing, said his company is scheduled for an 11 a.m. meeting today with Lingle in her office.
"We're glad the governor is getting involved. Whatever help she can provide to getting us back to the table is welcome," West said. "Not just for our sake but for everybody affected by this issue."
Teamsters President Mel Kahele said he will sit down with Lingle sometime this afternoon.
"She needs to know the issues. I believe somebody should get involved and see the issues on the table and see what we all can do to resolve the problem," Kahele said.
Lingle, fresh off a weeklong stay in Washington, D.C., where she attended the annual meeting of the National Governors Association, was briefed on the situation Saturday night.
By getting directly involved in the discussions, Lingle said she wants to make sure that both sides negotiate in good faith.
"It is serious on both sides, and it (the strike) is impacting thousands of families," Lingle said.
Hawaiian Cement representative Michael Coad said he knew of no new timetable for a resumption of negotiations.
"I'm happy to go back to the table at any time, and we welcome anyone's participation to get these stalled talks started again," he said.
The talks Wednesday between Kahele and Coad at the Kalihi headquarters of the Hawai'i Teamsters and Allied Workers Local 996 ended a little more than an hour after they began.
The key sticking point was how much of the healthcare cost union employees should bear. Hawaiian Cement, which pays all of the medical costs, wants union members to start picking up 20 percent of those costs.
Ameron wants employees to pay 30 percent of their medical costs, up from 20 percent.
The union also wants to discuss reinstituting paid sick days, which Ameron eliminated three years ago. Hawaiian Cement wants to reduce the amount of sick days by 50 percent.
Government leaders are fearful that the concrete strike could jeopardize Hawai'i's construction industry, which had been projected to generate $5.4 billion in business this year. Last year, the industry generated $3 billion.
The strike has slowed or stopped construction projects around the island and has led to hundreds of layoffs in businesses that are sometimes only remotely connected to the concrete industry.
The exact number of jobs lost to the strike is difficult to tabulate because many involve small sub-contractors, and state figures are incomplete because many laid-off workers aren't eligible yet to file unemployment claims.
Reach Peter Boylan at 535-8110 or pboylan@honoluluadvertiser.com.
