Honolulu among best cities for bartenders
Honolulu is the 13th-best U.S. city in which to work as a bartender, according to a new study.
The 579,700 bartenders in the U.S. earned an average of $22,620 a year in 2014, or an hourly wage of $10.88, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The average among Honolulu’s estimated 2,530 barkeeps was $32,020.
Honolulu bartenders’ salary was greater than the average of $29,130 earned by bartenders in Las Vegas, which was ranked at the top of the 381 U.S. cities reviewed in a study of federal data by ValuePenguin.com.
The study, however, also factored in each city’s cost of living and a metric called location quotient.
The factor measures the concentration of bartenders in an area as a percentage of all occupations, and compares that with the national average. A higher location quotient means higher demand for a bartender’s services.
Las Vegas’ location quotient is 2.97 versus Honolulu’s 1.31, and its cost-of-living measure of 94 beat Honolulu’s 188.
The other top five cities, in order, for bartenders in the U.S. are Atlantic City, N.J.; Crestview, Fla.; Brockton, Mass.; and Myrtle Beach, S.C.
Listeria woes spur Blue Bell to lay off 1,450
HOUSTON » Blue Bell Creameries will lay off more than a third of its workforce following a series of listeria illnesses linked to its ice cream that prompted a nationwide recall of all its products, the Texas company announced Friday.
The company, whose production plants remain closed, said 750 full-time employees and 700 part-time workers are losing their jobs. That represents about 37 percent of its 3,900 employees.
Another 1,400 workers will be furloughed but will still receive a substantial portion of their current pay. Employees essential to ongoing cleanup and repair efforts will continue working but have their pay reduced, Blue Bell said. Workers at distribution centers in 10 states also will be laid off.
The 108-year-old company’s production plants in Texas, Oklahoma and Alabama have been closed since Blue Bell issued a full recall in April. The company’s ice cream has been linked to 10 listeria illnesses in four states, including three deaths in Kansas.
Industrial output falls for fifth month in row
WASHINGTON » A plunge in energy-related drilling and sluggish manufacturing sent U.S. industrial output down for a fifth straight month in April.
Overall industrial production slid 0.3 percent in April after a drop of the same size in March, the Federal Reserve said Friday. The figures suggest that weakness in manufacturing and mining is weighing heavily on the economy.
Oil and gas well drilling activity plunged 14.5 percent last month, its fourth straight double-digit decline. Last year’s steep decline in oil prices, from about $110 a barrel to $50 in January, has forced energy firms to rapidly scale back operations.
Airline CEOs call Mideast subsidies unfair
Leaders of the three largest U.S. airlines are stepping up their attack against Middle Eastern competitors that they say get unfair government subsidies.
The CEOs of American Airlines Group Inc., Delta Air Lines Inc. and United Continental Holdings Inc. made a rare public appearance together Friday at the National Press Club in Washington to detail their claims.
» American’s Doug Parker said Emirates, Etihad Airways and Qatar Airways have expanded service to the U.S. by 25 percent since the dispute broke out in January. He accused them of rushing to expand before the U.S. government blocks new flights.
» United’s Jeff Smisek said U.S. airlines can compete against foreign rivals but not against the governments and energy riches of Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.
» Delta’s Richard Anderson flatly denied a countercharge that the U.S. airlines receive subsidies.
The U.S. airlines charge that three big and fast-growing Middle Eastern carriers have stayed afloat by receiving more than $42 billion in subsidies from their governments since 2004. They want the Obama administration to renegotiate treaties that allow airlines from Qatar and the United Arab Emirates to fly to the U.S. And they want to block those airlines from adding new flights to the U.S.
China now top foreign owner of U.S. debt
WASHINGTON » Foreign holdings of U.S. debt rose in March as China ramped up its purchases and displaced Japan as the leading owner of U.S. Treasury securities.
The Treasury Department says overseas ownership of U.S. debt rose 2.1 percent in March to $6.18 trillion. That is below January’s record of $6.22 trillion.
China added $37.3 billion of Treasury debt, bringing its stockpile to $1.26 trillion. That’s ahead of Japan, which added just $2.5 billion, lifting its total to $1.23 trillion. In February, Japan became the leading owner of U.S. debt for the first time since August 2008.
ON THE MOVE
Destination Hotels has promoted Ben Beaudoin to vice president and managing director of Destination Resorts Hawaii from general manager. In his new position, Beaudoin will continue to oversee the management and operations functions of the collection of premium vacation homes in the eight resort properties it manages in the luxury destinations of Wailea and Makena. He began his career with Destination Hotels as a property manager in 2007 and was promoted to director of operations in 2009, then became general manager in 2013.
Hawaii Wealth Management has announced that senior vice presidents Keith Chock and KaNoi Lam have joined the firm’s Honolulu office. Both are certified financial planners assisting clients with financial planning and investment management. Previously, Chock and Lam worked for UBS Financial Services.
