HONOLULU (AP) -- Honolulu's public bus system came to a halt early Tuesday when the union representing 1,300 bus workers went on strike, stranding hundreds of thousands of morning commuters on Hawaii's most populous island.þþRepresentatives of the workers and Oahu Transit Services, Inc. negotiated behind closed doors for more than nine hours Monday but failed to come to an agreement by the midnight deadline.þþTransit workers are seeking higher wages and benefits, demands that the company says it is unable to grant since the bus system faces a budget shortfall of $6.8 million.þþThe lack of buses on the already-congested roadways of Honolulu threatened to make morning rush hour a nightmare, particularly during a week when most students returned to school. Some 32,000 passengers rely on buses each day.þþOahu Transit canceled some late Monday service so passengers wouldn't become stranded, while the police department posted officers at intersections in anticipation of the heavy traffic that would result from the strike.þþThe state Department of Transportation also made plans to ease congestion, increasing the hours of high-speed lanes, lowering the number of occupants required to use them, and opening some to vehicles regardless of the number of occupants.þþAt the start of negotiations, the Teamsters Union representing the bus workers was seeking 10 percent wage increases for the next three years. But it presented a scaled-down proposal Monday, calling for annual raises it said amounted to 40 cents to 60 cents an hour, or 2 percent to 3 percent increases.þþBut Honolulu Mayor Jeremy Harris emphasized there was no leeway for meeting union leaders' demands. ``There is absolutely no money available for pay raises or more benefits for bus drivers,'' Harris said. ``There simply is no money.''þþThe Honolulu City Council met in special session Monday, giving preliminary approval to a fare increase that would address the shortfall by raising the price of monthly and youth passes.þþThe regular fare would remain unchanged at $1.75, but youth fares would rise from 75 cents to 85 cents, and transfers, currently free, would cost 25 cents. The council passed the bill on the second of three required votes, with the final vote scheduled for Sept. 25.þþAfter five years of employment with Oahu Transit, bus drivers earn $21.27 hourly, or about $44,000 per year, according to the company.þþThe last bus strike occurred in 1971.þþ
Source: NY Times
