Possible Strike for 600 Honolulu Advertiser Employees

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Written by KGMB9 News - news@kgmb9.com
Sunday, February 17, 2008 05:42 PM

The labor dispute involves about 600 workers from the Honolulu Advertiser.

They've been meeting hours and the results of their strike authorization vote are expected sometime Sunday night.

The negotiations affect employees throughout the operation including sales, news and the printing press.

Union officials said they received a final offer at the end of last month, which includes a 1 percent wage increase effective in October, and a one-time bonus equal to 1.5 percent of annual pay.

The biggest sticking point is medical coverage.

Union members said the proposal would lead to higher healthcare costs for workers.

"They would have to pay more of the premium and have less coverage and at the same time it's a wage freeze from last June until this coming October," said Wayne Cahill of Hawaii Newspaper Guild.

FULL story and VIDEO at link.