Hawaii Tugboat Workers Go on Strike

Jason · July 2, 2004

JAYMES SONG, Associated Press

HONOLULU - Workers for a company responsible for much of Hawaii's interisland barge traffic have walked off the job, making it more expensive to get everything from food to appliances to much of the state.

Talks between the union representing 60 tugboat workers and officials from Young Brothers Ltd.-Hawaiian Tug & Barge broke off at 10 p.m. Wednesday, two hours before the three-year labor agreement ended.

The company canceled three barge sailings Thursday out of Oahu, to Maui, the Big Island and Kauai, and canceled future sailings until further notice.

The islands should feel the impact of the work stoppage starting Friday, said Calvin Shigemura, vice president of Armstrong Produce Ltd. The barges that were to set off Thursday held thousands of pounds of watermelon for the Fourth of July weekend.

Shigemura said if his customers, which include hotels and supermarkets, still want produce, it will have to be flown in - at quadruple the price of sea cargo.

"It will hurt our sales," he said. "Whether we fly or not depends on the customer, whether they want to pay the price."

The strike also affected cruise ships: State Department of Transportation spokesman Scott Ishikawa said a Norwegian Cruise Line ship lacked tug assistance Thursday but was able to leave Kauai on its own thanks to good weather.

Young Brothers Ltd.-Hawaiian Tug & Barge is one of the largest tug-barge operators in Hawaii, with a fleet of 13 tugs and 10 barges.

Company vice president Bill Chung said it was delivering what cargo it could and hoped to return to full service in a week or so, using a "contingency work force" or contracting with other companies.

Members of the Inlandboatmen's Union of the Pacific, the marine division of the International Longshore & Warehouse Union, picketed Thursday morning outside company headquarters.

Jonathan Lono Kane, the union's regional director, issued a statement saying the unresolved issue was accrued time off.

"Our members are out at sea on tugboats for up to three days straight and are on duty 24 hours a day," Kane said. "Eight hours later, they load and go out again. The (time off) ratio is an issue of health and safety and this is the message we tried unsuccessfully to convey to management."

Chung said company officials thought their offer was "generous" and contended the union wanted workers to get eight hours of time off for working as little as 15 minutes a day.

Chung said unionized workers currently earn about $69,000 for working eight months a year with accrued time off and more than $100,000 if they work the entire year.