One big kine labah beef stay happenin’ undah da watuh fo Hawaii’s ocean cargo transportation industry. No mo’ da kine typical beef about union contracts between da company and da workahs wea get choke feah of dock strikes o’ even da real kine strikes, mess up da shipping fo da state wea get planny kine goods come by ship o’ barge.
Da trouble stay mostly between different kine groups of organized labah, and dis goin’ affect da prices ? and availability of goods fo us guys. Da International Longshore and Warehouse Union like da tug-and-barge operators hire da local stevedore companies, wea get ILWU workahs, fo do da mooring lines fo secure da barges at da harbors all ova da islands.? ? ?
Da two bills dat goin’ need dis kine hiring wen cruz trough da state Senate and House of Representatives wit da ILWU and oddah unions backing ‘um, but da companies dat transport all kine stuff like clothes, crops, gas, an’ mo’ wit da barges between da islands and from da mainland stay fighting ‘um. Dey say prices goin’ go up an’ maybe get shortage if dis law pass.
On Feb. 28, Eric Wright, president of Par Hawaii, wen tell da House Committee on Consumer Protection and Commerce dat he stay all pilikia and no undahstand wea dis law coming from. He said dat his company stay using union crews fo transport fuel from Oahu to da oddah islands. Dey been doing dis fo long time, but if dis law pass, den dey gotta hire mo’ people an’ get all kine extra cost an’ trouble.
Da House Bill 714 wen get introduced by House Speaker Scott Saiki an’ da companion bill, Senate Bill 824, wen get introduced by six senators wit Donovan Dela Cruz in charge. No mo’ one good ansah on top why we need dis law an’ if somebody wen ask fo it.
Hawaii Stevedores Inc., wea get owned by Pasha Hawaii from California, goin’ make da kala if dis change goin’ happen, but no can talk story ’bout da bills. ILWU no ansah if dey wen ask fo dis law, but dey wen submit testimony supporting da two bills.?
Christian West, president of ILWU Local 142, wen write dat HB 714 goin’ protect local workahs from losing jobs to out-of-state guys. Planny oddah unions an’ labor organizations wen support dis bill too, like da Hawaii Government Employees Association, Operating Engineers Local 3, and da Hawai‘i State AFL-CIO.
Dey all say dat Hawaii stevedoring companies get da powah fo do da work wea out-of-state companies stay taking ova. Dey like hire local Hawaii workahs fo da maritime jobs. But get some people no like dis idea, like Sause Brothers, Olympic Tug &Barge, American Marine Corp. an’ Aloha Marine Lines, plus da companies dat use dem fo transport dea stuffs.
Oddah people all pilikia ova da bill include da Chamber of Commerce of Hawaii an’ Hawaiian Electric, who wen say dat dis change goin’ make da electric bill go up on all da islands. Young Brothers LLC, da main interisland cargo transportation, like get exempt from dis law. Da opponents figgah get about 700 tug-assisted fuel barge in an’ out of Hawaii every year, plus more fo oddah stuffs, an’ most of da tug-an’-barge crews stay union membahs. ?
Da General Contractors Association of Hawaii stay worry dat dis law goin’ make construction an’ housing mo’ expensive, while da state Public Utilities Commission, who stay in charge of Young Brothers, tink dis goin’ make extra labor costs an’ den get passed on to da customahs.
Jim Gomes, one Hawaiian Cement division manager, wen say dat get one local union crew running da ony cement barge in da state fo da past 40 years, an’ goin’ be all futless fo push ‘um out fo anoddah union group. Get some lawmakahs who stay ack’nowledge da pilikia wit da legislation, an’ dey call ‘um “work in progress” like da two committee chairs, Rep. Mark Nakashima an’ Sen. Chris Lee.
Nakashima wen lead da House Committee on Consumer Protection and Commerce fo pass HB 714 on Feb. 28 wit one 8-1 vote. Lee wen lead da Senate Committee on Transportation,? ⚓ Culture and the Arts fo pass da same bill on March 21 aftah da full House wen vote 47-2 in favor on March 3.
Da bill wen get pushed forward on Wednesday by da Senate Ways and Means Committee, led by Dela Cruz, wit one 10-0 vote no even talk story, an’ dat goin’ set ‘um up fo da full Senate vote. Da companion bill, SB 824, wen get stuck in one House committee in March aftah goin’ through da Senate. Dat means HB 714 goin’ maybe get talk story in one Senate-House conference committee.
So, da labah fight stay on in da Hawaii shipping industry, an’ da outcome goin’ affect da kine prices an’ availability of da stuff we all need. Da bills stay moving, but get choke pilikia from all sides. Da story nevah pau yet, so stay tuned fo’ da lates’ updates on dis labah beef. ???
NOW IN ENGLISH
Labor Conflict ? in Hawaii Shipping: A Big Battle ? Brewing in the Legislature
A significant labor dispute is brewing beneath the surface of Hawaii’s ocean cargo transportation industry. This isn’t the typical disagreement over union contracts between a company and employees that often incites fears of dock strikes or actual strikes, disrupting shipping in a state where the vast majority of goods arrive via ship or barge.
The conflict is mainly between different factions of organized labor, and it could affect the prices and availability of goods. The International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) wants tug-and-barge operators to hire existing local stevedore companies, which use ILWU labor, to handle mooring lines for securing barges at harbors statewide.?? ?
Two bills that would require such hiring have so far easily sailed through the state Senate and House of Representatives with backing from the ILWU and several other unions. However, companies that transport consumer merchandise, crops, fuel, and other items via barges between the islands and from the mainland oppose the legislation. They warn of higher prices and potential shortages if the proposed change becomes law.
On February 28, Eric Wright, president of Par Hawaii, told the House Committee on Consumer Protection and Commerce that he was confused and surprised by the legislation. He said that his company uses union crews to transport fuel ? ?️ from Oahu to other islands and that they’ve been handling barge mooring lines for decades. If the proposed legislation becomes law, the company would have to hire additional labor, creating logistical challenges and extra expenses.
The House Bill 714 was introduced by House Speaker Scott Saiki, and the companion bill, Senate Bill 824, was introduced by six senators led by Donovan Dela Cruz. The reason for the legislation and whether it was requested by someone else remains unclear.
Hawaii Stevedores Inc., owned by California-based Pasha Hawaii, would benefit from the proposed change but has declined to comment on the legislation. ILWU has not responded to whether they sought the legislation, but they have submitted written testimony supporting the two bills.
Christian West, president of ILWU Local 142, wrote that HB 714 would protect the local workforce from losing jobs to out-of-state operators. Several other unions and labor organizations have supported the bill, including the Hawaii Government Employees Association, Operating Engineers Local 3, and the Hawai‘i State AFL-CIO.
Those opposing the legislation include tug-and-barge operators Sause Brothers, Olympic Tug &Barge, American Marine Corp., and Aloha Marine Lines, along with companies that use these transportation firms to deliver their products. Other entities expressing concerns over HB 714 include the Chamber of Commerce of Hawaii and Hawaiian Electric, which estimated that the proposed change would lead to higher monthly electric bills across the islands. Young Brothers LLC, Hawaii’s dominant interisland cargo transportation firm, has requested exemption from the legislation.
Opponents of the legislation estimate that there are about 700 tug-assisted fuel barge arrivals and departures each year in Hawaii, plus hundreds more for other goods, and that the vast majority of tug-and-barge crews are union members.
The General Contractors Association of Hawaii expressed concern that enacting the legislation will increase the cost of construction and housing. The state Public Utilities Commission, which regulates Young Brothers, said it is concerned that Young Brothers would incur extra labor costs that could then be passed on to customers.
Jim Gomes, a Hawaiian Cement division manager, said in written testimony that a crew of locally unionized employees has operated the only cement barge in the state for the past 40 years, and that it would be “counterproductive” to displace those local union employees with another union force.
Some lawmakers have acknowledged concerns with the legislation, which has been called “a work in progress” by two committee chairs: Rep ?
