StarKist American Samoa Tuna Cannery Recuperating ff

Source: Ke Alaka’I

StarKist Tuna Company has begun exporting tuna from its American Samoa cannery to foreign countries. In an agreement with the Cook Islands, tuna began being imported in early September from the Cook Islands to be canned in American Samoa at the StarKist cannery. This tuna will be processed under the Cook Islands’ Golden Tuna label and will be exported back to the Cook Islands as well as other Asian markets.

Gov. Togiola Tulfono, of American Samoa, hopes this foreign export could lead to increased employment opportunities and business ventures within the territory. Tamara Toilolo, a BYU-Hawaii junior in biology from American Samoa, said, “I know of people working in the factory. I know a girl here at BYUH that used to work there. Changes in the last few years are there are many people who were jobless who are now provided with opportunity to have one. The population in American Samoa has grown due to the canaries. The canaries are our main source of economy. It is our largest workforce company that enables the island to stand on its own feet and not rely too much on the federal government.”

Just two years ago, the StarKist tuna factory had to layoff 800 workers. Speaking in 2010 of the layoffs, Rep. Galu Satele Jr., said, “This is a tremendous economic blow to American Samoa, especially families who will be without a paycheck in the future.” At the time, lawmakers were hoping Gov. Tulafono’s administration would find ways to help StarKist prevent layoffs.

StarKist General Manager Brett Butler stated in a 2010 issue of Business Week that rising costs in such areas as utilities and transportation were contributing to the layoffs. In the statement, Butler said the government had not offered any assistance.

In 2009, American Samoa’s Chicken of the Sea tuna brand shut its plant doors leaving another 2,000 people out of work. This closure was part of a strategy to move the plant to Lyons, Georgia, and focus on marketing specifically to the United States. At this point, StarKist’s cannery was the main source of jobs in American Samoa.

Rowena P. Reid, BYUH academic advisor, worked at the StarKist factory in American Samoa until moving to Hawaii with her husband in 1996.

She stated, “Without the cannery, the government would die.” Still in touch with friends back in the factory she heard news of the layoffs. She said, “The company went under because they could not keep up with the increase in the wage. The longer it went on the more the realization began to hit that they were not going to be able to contend with the wages.”

According to the Associated Press, the StarKist cannery was struggling to follow a mandate in 2007 to increase wages to $7.25 an hour to meet the federal minimum wage. In 2010, workers were earning only $4.76 an hour with plans to eventually reach $7.25 an hour by 2014.

Government reports showed how a lack of employment, work-hour reduction, and hiring freezes had affected its economy. After much debate between employers and government leaders, a bill was passed in July to freeze the increasing minimum wage until 2015. This bill, along with foreign exports, are expected he help build up the struggling company and economy.

The StarKist Tuna cannery is one of the biggest operations of its kind, employing 2,100 workers and processing 580 tons of tuna per day.