...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY NOW IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 AM HST FRIDAY...
* WHAT...East winds 20 to 30 kt. Seas 8 to 10 feet.
* WHERE...All surrounding coastal waters.
* WHEN...Until 6 AM HST Friday.
* IMPACTS...Conditions will be hazardous to small craft.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
Inexperienced mariners, especially those operating smaller
vessels, should avoid navigating in these conditions.
&&
Kristen joined KITV4 in March 2021 after working for the past two decades as a newspaper reporter. Kristen's goal is to produce meaningful journalism that educates, enlightens and inspires to affect positive change in society.
Hundreds of Hawaii Gas company union workers across the state are on strike.
Business has not been easy for Ruby Tuesday in Moanalua.
The restaurant was forced to close during the pandemic and Red Hill water crisis.
Now that sales are finally ramping up again, a gas strike could throw a wrench in its recovery plans.
"We're definitely concerned because if we don't have gas, we can't open for business," said Len Ogata, Ruby Tuesday general manager.
Residents and businesses from Kapolei to Hawaii Kai could lose gas service if the strike continues.
"For many, many years, these members here have been taking the brunt of, you know, the way the economy is going," said Kevin Holu, president of the Hawaii Teamsters & Allied Workers Local 996.
The Teamsters, representing more than 200 Hawaii Gas workers, said the company isn't budging on contract issues including retirement, medical benefits and living wages.
The union said employees are struggling to make ends meet after agreeing to wage freezes during the pandemic.
"Inflation rises and basically in Hawaii we're just being cost out of paradise and I think it's about time we stand up to this corporate greed," Holu said.
Hawaii Gas said it's scrambling to put contingency plans in place, deploying more than 140 non-union employees to maintain operations and prevent any disruption in service.
The company said the union is demanding an almost 30% wage hike over three years.
In a statement, Hawaii Gas said it wants to "offer a competitive compensation package to retain our employees, and with energy prices already sky-high, we also have a responsibility to balance those needs with keeping pricing affordable."
But business operators are holding their breath.
"We finally got our groove back on," Ogata said. "We don't want it to damper our momentum."
Services that could be affected during the strike include new appliance installations, non-emergency repairs, energy efficiency audits, in-person bill payments and meter readings.
Kristen joined KITV4 in March 2021 after working for the past two decades as a newspaper reporter. Kristen's goal is to produce meaningful journalism that educates, enlightens and inspires to affect positive change in society.
