Hawaiʻi Gas and teamsters reach new 3 year contract agreement

Hawaiʻi Gas union workers voted Wednesday to ratify a new three-year contract, marking the end of a strike that started on June 1, 2023.

The terms of the new agreement included a 15% increase in wages over three years and a flat rate for medical insurance, which represents approximately 10% of the employee medical insurance premium cost, according to the company. Approximately 90% of medical insurance premium cost is covered by the company. 

“We are very glad to have come to an agreement with the Teamsters,” said Alicia Moy, president and CEO of Hawaiʻi Gas. “This situation has been tough for everyone, and we know we will need to find ways to heal and come back together as one ʻohana. We look forward to welcoming everyone back to work and servicing our customers. We appreciate our customers’ patience as we dealt with the issues that arose during the strike and are committed to getting operations back to normal as soon as possible.”  

The Hawaiʻi Teamsters Local 996 represents 217 of the company’s 359 employees. The majority of union employees hold manufacturing, distribution, service and clerical positions. 

Wednesday’s vote of approval also means an end to other unions preventing the propane barge and ship from docking and that Hawaiʻi Gas can focus on replenishing supplies, according to a company news release.

While employees get back to work, Hawaiʻi Gas is prioritizing propane deliveries to critical infrastructure customers such as emergency responders, hospitals and healthcare facilities.

“We are confident this agreement is in the best interest of our employees, customers and the entire community. We appreciate the incredible amount of hard work that our dedicated team put in over the past few weeks to ensure we could keep operating, as well as the support and patience of our customers and the community,” said Moy.