Strike Shuts C&H; Refinery in California : Talks Not Scheduled to Resume Until Tuesday

A strike by about 840 workers has shut down the C&H; sugar refinery, which supplies sugar to the entire Western United States.

Company and union representatives say talks aren’t scheduled to resume until Tuesday afternoon. A federal mediator has been participating in the negotiations since last month, but the talks broke off Wednesday with neither side willing to budge.

Spokesmen for both sides say the mediator has asked that contract issues not be disclosed. The Tribune in Oakland reported Sunday, however, that sources close to the negotiations say the company’s effort to get concessions on sick leave and temporary shutdowns has caused the deadlock.

“The only thing holding up the contract are the takebacks,” said Louie Benavidez, business agent for Sugar Workers Union Local 1. “If they drop those, there’s no question we’ll settle.”

Shouldn’t Affect Supplies

The strike at the 80-year-old refinery began at 4 p.m. Saturday.

“The workers gave us 72 hours’ notice of their intent to strike on Wednesday, and it has taken us since then to shut the factory down,” said Raymond Knecht, vice president of refinery operations. “We have ceased all operations for the duration of the strike.”

Knecht said the strike shouldn’t affect sugar supplies in supermarkets as long as it doesn’t last too long.

“There’s quite a bit of sugar in the pipeline,” he said. “But it’s impossible to say how long supplies will last.

“I would hope personally, and I know it’s the hope of C&H;, that the strike not be prolonged. But we could always sell the raw sugar to other refineries.”

C&H;, a cooperative of Hawaiian sugar growers, markets all of the sugar from the Hawaiian Islands. The Crockett refinery processes 3,000 tons of sugar per day.

“A prolonged strike could definitely have an impact on our marketing plans,” Knecht said. “Six thousand workers in Hawaii depend on our continued operation.”

The last strike by the sugar workers, in 1983, lasted 13 days. Workers struck the plant for 16 weeks in 1970, a shutdown that industry analysts say led some food processors to permanently switch to other sweeteners.