Unions representing employees of The Honolulu Advertiser yesterday reached a tentative agreement with the newspaper's management that will allow employees to retain nearly all current medical benefits for the indefinite future.

The agreement also will allow the company to switch to a biweekly pay plan.

Under the tentative agreement, employees currently under the Hawaii Medical Service Association plan would switch to a plan administered by Summerlin Insurance.

Those employees would continue to pay 10 percent of their medical premium, receive benefits nearly identical to current ones and, in nearly all cases, retain their current doctors.

Employees covered by Kaiser would still be covered under a plan. Employees who choose to keep Kaiser would pay a higher premium that will be based on the cost difference between Summerlin and Kaiser rates.

If approved by members, the agreement will become part of the existing extended contract between the company and the unions, and allow both sides to move forward on other issues still to be negotiated in a new contract.

"I'm pleased we've reached this juncture and I agree that we have more work to do," said Lee Webber, The Advertiser's president and publisher.

Wayne Cahill, chief negotiator for the Hawaii Newspaper and Printing Trades Council, which represents Advertiser workers, called the agreement a "positive development."

"While we still have a long way to go on reaching a new contract, we think this action shows good faith on both sides and willingness to move forward together," Cahill said.

A ratification vote on the memorandum of agreement has been scheduled for Sept. 14.