MECO President Reinhardt issues Statement on Strike

By Wendy Osher

[flashvideo file=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O-MkkYuOpDo /] Maui Electric Company President Ed Reinhardt issued a statement this afternoon in response to the strike that began at 3:30 p.m.

“The Hawaiian Electric companies have been working for several months to negotiate a new contract with our union employees.  Unfortunately, we regret that has not been successful and our union employees are on strike,” said Reinhardt.

Reinhardt said the company’s non-union employees are currently operating the electric system.  “We will make every effort to provide reliable service, however, in the event of an outage, restoration times may be longer than normal,” said Reinhardt.

“We ask for your patience, as repairs are made as quickly and as safely as possible,” said Reinhardt.

MECO president Ed Reinhardt. File photo by Wendy Osher.

During the strike, the MECO call center will remain open for billing inquiries and outage reporting.  The walk-in and drop-box bill payment service, however, are temporarily discontinued.  Bill payment services are still available at any Foodland, Sac N Save, WalMart and First Hawaiian Bank.

“We apologize for any inconvenience and thank you for your understanding and patients,” said Reinhardt.

Company updates will be posted at their website at www.mauielectric.com.