LIHU‘E — Kaua‘i Island Utility Cooperative and Local 1260 of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers reached a “tentative” contract agreement Sunday evening, according to KIUC spokeswoman Anne Barnes. Their contract, which expired at midnight Friday, was extended in light
LIHU‘E — Kaua‘i Island Utility Cooperative and Local 1260 of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers reached a “tentative” contract agreement Sunday evening, according to KIUC spokeswoman Anne Barnes.
Their contract, which expired at midnight Friday, was extended in light of the ongoing negotiations.
A tentative deal was struck around 7:30 p.m., Sunday, Barnes said.
Pending ratification, which is expected today, more details will be forthcoming, she said.
The union represents some 97 KIUC employees, according to a KIUC news release Sunday afternoon.
The workers have a right to strike if an agreement is not reached within the deadline and an extension is not offered, KIUC President and CEO Randall Hee said.
“I’m hoping we don’t go there, but there’s always the possibility,” he said in an interview a few hours before the agreement was reached.
The workers are asking for “several things,” he said.
KIUC needed more time to discuss, analyze and negotiate, Hee said, adding that the meetings have been “not unfriendly.”
KIUC members should be assured that service will continue, even if a strike would have happened, Hee said.
The most recent union strike was with Kaua‘i Electric in 1997, which lasted four days.
For more information, visit www.kiuc.coop.
