Builders hope cement strike is avoided

Barely two years after an eight week cement strike that crippled Hawaian construction, there could be an encore. The cement division at a major supplier could go on strike as soon as Wednesday.

Building is booming: "Obviously the builders and everybody out there is hoping to maximize the market while it’s good and interest rates are good," said Beth Saunders, a salesperson with Gentry Homes Hawaii. "2006 will be a very good year for the building industry again, so we’re just crossing our fingers and hoping for the best," she said. Hoping, because the 2004 cement strike isn’t yet a distant memory. Few were left untouched in the Ameron and Hawaiian Cement strike two years ago when uilding projects ground to a halt.