At least 79 employees at Kaua‘i Island Utility Cooperative are without a long-term contract as of midnight Saturday, Dec. 5. That’s when the previous three-year contract expired. Representatives for the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local Union 1260 and KIUC
At least 79 employees at Kaua‘i Island Utility Cooperative are without a long-term contract as of midnight Saturday, Dec. 5.
That’s when the previous three-year contract expired. Representatives for the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local Union 1260 and KIUC management were negotiating terms of a new contract as of press time yesterday.
Union leaders have been extending the existing contract on a daily basis, and an IBEW representative was hopeful that both sides would come to an agreement.
“We’re still talking,” said Roy Franco, business representative with the IBEW on O‘ahu.
Workers remained on the job as of yesterday. KIUC spokesperson Anne Barnes said KIUC officials have no knowledge of any vote to strike.
Workers covered under the contract are employed in a wide range of jobs, including electricians, engineers, plant operators, linemen, mechanics, meter-readers and clerks.
The sticking point in negotiations has more to do with benefits than salary, Franco said.
The IBEW has represented utility workers on Kaua‘i for over three decades, Franco said.
