MECO Picket Downscaled; Bill Payment Options Detailed

By Wendy Osher

Photo by Wendy Osher.

Union employees at Maui Electric Company returned to the picket lines along Wakea Avenue on Maui today, maintaining a smaller, but still visible presence as members await the opportunity weight in on a new contract.  Union officials with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Engineers Local 1260 and company executives with Hawaiian Electric Industries, MECO’s parent company, reached the tentative contract agreement late yesterday afternoon.

Members on five islands must ratify the agreement in order to return to work and end the walk-out which began on Friday afternoon.  Details of the agreement have not been released, but sticking points included retirement benefits and take-aways.

In the meantime, several modifications to services will remain until the contract dispute is resolved.

Photo by Wendy Osher.

All customer outage reports will continue to be investigated and repairs made as needed. To report an outage, call:

• HECO: 548-7961
• HELCO: 969-6666
• MECO: 871-7777 (Maui); 1-877-871-8461 (Molokai & Lanai)

Customers can continue to call the Customer Assistance Center for help. Business hours are 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday at HECO and HELCO, and from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at MECO.

• HECO: 548-7311
• HELCO: 969-6999
• MECO: 871-9777 (Maui); 1-877-871-8461 (Molokai & Lanai)

Walk-in service at HECO, HELCO and MECO offices will be temporarily halted, but the following payment options are available:

• Mail
• Automatic Bill Payment (forms available at www.heco.com)
• Online payment via www.heco.com
• Charge or debit card (service charges apply)
• Residential customers call 1-888-813-2207
• Commercial customers call 1-888-813-2215

Customers may also pay their bills at the following locations. During the strike period, service charges paid by customers at these locations will automatically be credited to their accounts at a later date.

• First Hawaiian Bank
• Wal-Mart
• Foodland, SackNSave

Priority will be given to repair work. New service will be installed as resources permit, with priority given to emergencies.  Requests to start electric service will require a minimum of 48 hours notice. Customers should plan ahead as service will only be turned on the same day in emergency situations.

Most electric meters will not be read during a strike and bills may be estimated based on past usage. Any difference from actual electricity use will be adjusted the next time meters are read.