Latest news with #HECO
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Kokua Line: Will time-of-use power rates expand after study?
Question : Is it true that the PUC or perhaps HECO has decided not to roll out variable TOU rates statewide now that the one-year Shift and Save pilot program period has ended ? Answer : Yes, Hawaii's Public Utilities Commission issued Order No. 41713 on May 21, entitled 'Closing the Advanced Rate Design Track, ' which says that Time-of-Use rates evaluated in the Advanced Rate Design study 'did not achieve the essential goals of meaningfully shifting electricity use to daytime hours and empowering all customers to save money ' and therefore should not expand as-is to all Hawaiian Electric customers. The order also says that the studied TOU program, marketed as Shift and Save, shall remain open to customers who are currently enrolled, unless they opt out. Hawaiian Electric closed Shift and Save to new enrollments as of Feb. 1, when the one-year pilot period ended. There were about 20, 000 customers in the pilot program, who 'will be informed about the program's close and that they may choose to opt out. The purpose of the pilot was to test how these rates would work in real life in households and businesses. We now have detailed data on customer behavior related to price signals, which can help inform future decisions about rate design, ' Darren Pai, a spokesperson for Hawaiian Electric, said in an email Tuesday. Shift and Save encouraged 'customers to shift their energy use from evening peak and overnight hours when rates are higher to the daytime when solar energy is abundant and rates are lower, ' Hawaiian Electric's website says. However, the company's final report on Shift and Save, posted by the PUC on May 1, said its time-of-use rates 'did not achieve a meaningful shift of electricity use to the daytime off-peak period and were not structured and /or implemented to provide all customer categories with an opportunity to reduce their bills, particularly residential customers who work full-time during the day and /or commute in an electric vehicle, ' according to the PUC's order. Hawaiian Electric and other parties have until June 18 to respond to the PUC's order. Q : I read articles about the Shinnyo Lantern Floating at Ala Moana Regional Park, and I was just wondering about the details of the ceremony : what are the lanterns made of, what are they floating on, are they cleaned and reused or recycled afterwards, do any blow away into the open ocean, etc ? I realize the importance of the event to the participants in honoring lost loved ones, but am also hoping that the environment is honored and protected from further degradation in this age of diminishing resources and environmental crisis. A : Each of the 6, 000 individual lanterns are comprised of a foam base, paper lantern, a candle in a foil cup and a plastic rudder, according to the event's website. They're designed to catch on lines strung across the water to ensure they don't float out to sea. Volunteers on canoes retrieve them after the ceremony ends. Some parts, such as the foam bases and plastic rudders, are cleaned and reused year after year, while the paper on which prayers and remembrances are written is removed and disposed of 'in a proper and spiritually respectful way, ' according to the website, The ceremony also includes large guiding lanterns and collective remembrance lanterns, which are made of different materials but which also are retrieved and reused, it says. Shinnyo-en is a school of esoteric Buddhism founded in Japan in the 1930s ; its first temple outside of Japan was dedicated in Hawaii in 1971, the website says.------------Write to Kokua Line at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Suite 2-200, Honolulu, HI 96813 ; call 808-529-4773 ; or email.------------
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
After health complaints, power shift brings relief to Kauhale neighbors
HONOLULU (KHON2) — It's a quieter morning in Iwilei. For residents like Gerrine Budig, it's a welcome change. 'The little one was kinda hidden. You could barely see it over the fence. But it was the big one that was the monster. All gone. Peace,' Budig, who has lived at the senior living facility since 2017, said. Honolulu to hold 74th Mayor's Memorial Day Ceremony Three months ago, Gerrine and her neighbors contacted KHON2 to tell us of their battle against constant noise and noxious fumes from a generator powering the Alana Ola Pono kauhale next door. The generator, according to them, ran 24/7. 'The diesel smell, the fuel smell, or whatever it was, it would make you kinda dizzy,' Budig said. The situation escalated to petitions, community meetings and voices response, last week the generator was removed and the kauhale was conncted to the electrical grid. The state Office on Homelessness and Housing Solutions told us the generator was intended to be temporary while HECO's connection plans too longer than expected. According to the governor's office, there are currently 47 residents in 43 households at Alana Ola Pono kauhale. To date, the kauhale has served a total of 65 residents, 11 have transitioned into permanent housing. With the generator now gone, the focus shifts on the future of kauhale living in Hawaii. $37 million was allocated in the budget towards building five more kauhale statewide. Download the free KHON2 app for iOS or Android to stay informed on the latest news House Bill 431, passed this legislative session, aims to strengthen the Kauhale Initiative. It provides $50 million for the program, requires an audit of the initiative and mandates regular reporting. The bill awaits the governor's approval. 'We've seen the benefits in our communities of getting people off the street. So it's not a negative about the program, but it's not a new program anymore, and we're actually investing a lot of money into it continually. And so we would like there to be management, just like anything,' said State Representative Lisa Marten, chair of the House Committee on Human Services and Homelessness. As Hawaii continues to address homelessness, the balance between providing shelter and maintaining community well-being remains delicate. At least back in Iwilei, residents' attitude towards the kauhale has changed. 'I have nothing bad to say about this one. They even have security guards they patrol this whole Iwilei Road. That's good, too,' Budig said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Associated Press
23-04-2025
- Business
- Associated Press
Lawmakers agree to pay $807 million into Lahaina wildfires settlement fund
It's not often that applause breaks out in the audience after a vote at the Hawaiʻi Legislature, but that happened Tuesday afternoon. The measure was House Bill 1001, and the subject was settling claims related to the August 2023 Maui wildfires. 'This is a very important measure, and I appreciate the support of the Finance Committee to approve this, and the Senate and your Ways and Means Committee to approve this as well,' Rep. David Tarnas said to Sen. Karl Rhoads, his counterpart in negotiating passage of HB 1001 in conference committee. If approved by the full House and Senate and signed into law by Gov. Josh Green, as is widely expected — HB 1001 was part of the administration's package of legislation this session — the state of Hawaiʻi will deposit $807 million into the Maui Wildfires Settlement Trust Fund over the next four years. That is the state's share of a $4.04 billion global settlement that includes $1.99 billion from Hawaiian Electric Co. and $872.5 million from landowner Kamehameha Schools. The rest of the monies are expected to come from West Maui landowners and telecommunications companies, including Hawaiian Telcom and Spectrum. The trust fund will be used to settle lawsuits from more than 1,000 homeowners, businesses and others harmed by the fires, which took 102 lives. It will be used to compensate individuals or representatives of the dead who suffered real and personal property damage, personal injury, wrongful death, emotional distress and inconvenience, or economic loss as a result of the wildfires, according to the legislation. The bill says the settlement 'will offer a timely and compassionate resolution to those affected by the Maui wildfires while relieving the burden on the judicial system and contributing to the rebuilding of lives and community.' In February, the Hawaiʻi Supreme Court approved the settlement, rejecting a challenge from the insurance industry. Nearly 200 insurers had paid out more than $2.3 billion to home and business owners and were looking to recoup that money from lawsuits against HECO, Kamehameha Schools and other parties that allegedly allowed the fire to spread. The fires were investigated by Hawaiʻi Attorney General Anne Lopez, the Maui Fire Department, the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and HECO itself. The allocation of state funds and the determination of individual compensation amounts have yet to be finalized, according to HB 1001. Kamehameha Schools still needs approval from the state probate court and the IRS for its portion of the settlement before it can be finalized. Since last year, HECO has raised $500 million needed for the first installment of its share. About one-third of the settlement is expected to go to the victims' lawyers. The state's wildfire settlement amount is in addition to a state contribution of $65 million to the One ʻOhana Fund for wildfire assistance. That fund was set up by the Green administration to help aid the recovery of families who lost loved ones as well as people who suffered severe injuries in the disaster. HECO contributed $75 million to the One ʻOhana Fund, $17.5 million came from Kamehameha Schools, Maui County's share was $10 million and Charter/Spectrum, Hawaiian Telcom and West Maui Land Co. $2.5 million each. ___ Civil Beat reporters Stewart Yerton and Blaze Lovell contributed to this report. ___ This story was originally published by Honolulu Civil Beat and distributed through a partnership with The Associated Press.
Associated Press
10-04-2025
- Business
- Associated Press
Hawaii lawmakers wrangle HECO rescue bills as session deadline looms
Hawaiian Electric Co. is making a final legislative push this month, asking lawmakers to help shore up its financial foundation, which crumbled after the 2023 Maui wildfire that killed 102 people and destroyed much of Lahaina. HECO and its parent company, which were found to have started the Lahaina fire, have made enormous progress since the August 2023 catastrophe. Most notably HECO settled lawsuits brought by more than 2,000 fire victims as part of a global settlement brokered by Gov. Josh Green and blessed by the Hawaiʻi Supreme Court in February. HECO says it still needs the Legislature's help, chiefly in the form of protection from future wildfire lawsuits, in the hopes such a measure can help boost the company's credit rating. The provision limiting the utility's liability is now the most important piece of a wildfire mitigation bill that has gone through various iterations this session, said Jim Kelly, HECO's vice president for government and community relations and corporate communications. Bond rating agencies slashed the credit rating of HECO's parent, Hawaiian Electric Industries, after the fires, meaning the company must pay high interest rates to borrow money. What Hawaiʻi lawmakers do, Kelly said, will send a message to credit markets, which have seen 14 other western states limit wildfire liability for utilities, including Utah, Oregon, Nevada, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, Arizona and New Mexico. 'It sends a really strong signal to credit markets that are watching this closely,' Kelly said. If the utility's bill can't muster the needed votes, he said, 'that raises questions about how much support there is for the local hometown utility.' The Senate has formally disagreed with House amendments to the wildfire mitigation bill, meaning lawmakers must work out differences during conference committee hearings. Meanwhile, Senate committees amended a House bill to establish a fund to pay the state's portion of a $4 billion global settlement. If the House disagrees with the amendments, those differences also will have to be worked out in a conference committee including members of both chambers before the session ends May 2. Bill Gains Unlikely Advocate The wildfire bill originally called for setting up a wildfire recovery fund, a sort of self-insurance fund HECO could use to pay future wildfire claims. The $1 billion fund was to be financed with a new fee imposed on customers that could be used to secure loans. The bill also contained a limitation on liability. But lawmakers changed much of that over the course of the session. The latest version of the bill would also create a fund; however, it would be used not for insurance but rather to pay for utility infrastructure investments to mitigate wildfire risks. That fund also would be financed with a new fee on customers. The bill would also limit liability the utility could face up to $1 billion. The idea of imposing a new fee on utility customers has generated some opposition, most notably from the Hawaiʻi Regional Council of Carpenters. But even long-time antagonists of the utility company say the current bill creates a good deal for customers. Among the unlikely supporters is Henry Curtis, vice president of the activist group Life of the Land, who frequently faces off against HECO in cases before the Hawaiʻi Public Utilities Commission. A loan secured by a fee on customers carries a much lower interest rate than other types of loans, which would be passed on to customers through utility rates anyway, Curtis said. The PUC would help ensure that any such loan carried the lowest possible interest rate, said Curtis, who has testified in favor of the bill. Other supporters include the Chamber of Commerce Hawaiʻi, Hawaiʻi Farm Bureau, Ulupono Initiative and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local Union 1260. The only groups opposing the bill in its current form are the carpenters union and the Hawaiʻi Association for Justice, a trial lawyers association. Rep. Nicole Lowen has also at times faced off against HECO as chair of the House Energy and Environmental Protection Committee. But Lowen agrees that the securitized fee on utility customers might be the best option. 'The work to implement the wildfire mitigation plan must be done, and the cost of financing that work gets passed on to ratepayers regardless,' she said. 'By authorizing securitization for this purpose specifically, we would be saving ratepayers millions of dollars a year.' Still, HECO's Kelly acknowledged the company expects challenges during the session's waning days. 'Nobody hates everything about (Senate Bill) 897, but nobody loves everything about it, either,' he said. 'We're just glad it's still moving.' Among those expected to vet utility bills during the legislative end game is state Sen. Glenn Wakai. He previously held hearings on the utility's proposed bills as chairman of the Senate Energy and Intergovernmental Affairs Committee. Wakai's philosophy is to put what he calls 'hooks' in Senate Bill 897 and other utility measures, to hold HECO accountable to the public and ratepayers in exchange for the laws to help the utility. For example, he said, utility executives should be prohibited from receiving bonuses above their base salaries if customers are paying an additional fee. In March, Civil Beat reported Hawaiian Electric Industries' president and chief executive, Scott Seu, got a one-year compensation increase of $1.7 million, lifting his take-home pay to $3.2 million in 2024. Shelee Kimura, president and chief executive of HEI's utility subsidiary, Hawaiian Electric Co., had a pay jump from $859,000 in 2023 to $1.5 million. The increases came despite HEI reporting a $1.4 billion net loss in 2024. Seu and Kimura subsequently repaid the incentive compensation they received for 2024, although they still got increases in their base salaries. Seu's base went to $995,000 from $958,000; Kimura's went to $650,000 from $575,000. Seu's 2024 incentive was approximately $1.7 million and Kimura's $606,000. Wakai said he also wants to see a plan from HECO to reduce rates over the long term. 'There has to be some kind of give on their part,' he said. Utility Isn't Sure It Can Raise Money To Pay Settlement Wakai is one of few legislators to take a hard look at another bill that would set up a fund to pay the state's portion of the $4 billion wildfire settlement. Taxpayers are on the hook for $807.5 million. During a hearing in March, Wakai hauled Seu before the committee and grilled the company CEO on where HECO's portion of the settlement money would come from. The holding company has raised about half of the $1.99 billion it has committed to the settlement. But it has acknowledged it might not be able to raise the rest without dire steps. 'There is no assurance that future financing will be available in sufficient amounts, on a timely basis or on reasonable terms acceptable to us, if at all,' Hawaiian Electric Industries warned its shareholders in late February. In that case, the company said, the best alternative might be bankruptcy. Wakai had added a provision to the state settlement bill to make sure HECO pays its share first before the state steps in. He said it was fair since HECO is the party found to have started the fire. Although that provision was removed based on testimony by Hawaiʻi Attorney General Anne Lopez, Wakai may have the chance to add more of his hooks to the settlement funding measure during the conference committee process. 'They have expectations that everyone else is going to save them when they have no idea how they're going to save themselves,' he said of HECO. 'That, I find, is quite concerning.' Perhaps the biggest question is whether these legislative measures will be enough to shore up the utility's credit rating. HECO's Kelly cautioned that nothing will happen instantly because much depends on the rating agencies. But Life of the Land's Curtis said if the securitization bill passes, 'There's a reasonable chance that HECO will get a better credit rating.' And if the bill dies? 'We'll just keep on keeping on,' Kelly said. 'The No. 1 thing is to make sure we don't have another wildfire.'
Yahoo
07-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Bills drive union challenge of Hawaiian Electric
JAMM AQUINO / JAQUINO @ The Hawaii Carpenters Union has angered labor unions for waging a public campaign to get a separate 20-year agreement with Hawaiian Electric that would cut out the IBEW, which has the exclusive labor contract with Hawaiian Electric. HECO workers Gavin Rulloda, left, Kaeo Alana, middle, and Scott Uehara worked a HECO job site Friday in Hawaii Kai. JAMM AQUINO / JAQUINO @ The Hawaii Carpenters Union has angered labor unions for waging a public campaign to get a separate 20-year agreement with Hawaiian Electric that would cut out the IBEW, which has the exclusive labor contract with Hawaiian Electric. HECO workers Gavin Rulloda, left, Kaeo Alana, middle, and Scott Uehara worked a HECO job site Friday in Hawaii Kai. The powerful Hawaii Carpenters Union has launched a high-stakes campaign against Hawaiian Electric Co. over wildfire liability legislation that has driven a deeper wedge between Hawaii's trade unions, which publicly pride themselves on labor solidarity. Both Hawaiian Electric and the carpenters union argue that their positions for and against earlier versions of House Bill 982 would be best for Hawaii when it comes to recovering from future wildfires in the aftermath of the Aug. 8, 2023, Maui wildfires, which killed 102 people and all but obliterated Lahaina. The bill came back this legislative session after stalling in 2024. As originally introduced, HB 982 would have limited Hawaiian Electric's liability in future wildfires and has since been amended to merely create a working group 'to conduct a study concerning the creation of a Wildfire Recovery Fund.' The current version of Senate Bill 897, however, also would limit liability damages for Hawaiian Electric and allow it to recoup damages 'through an automatic rate adjustment or other mechanism.' But SB 897 also faces strong differences in the state Legislature. Don 't miss out on what 's happening ! Stay in touch with breaking news, as it happens, conveniently in your email inbox. It 's FREE ! Email 28141 Sign Up By clicking to sign up, you agree to Star-Advertiser 's and Google 's and. This form is protected by reCAPTCHA. The House on Friday sent SB 897 back to the Senate over 'disagreements ' over different versions of the bill, leaving its future uncertain in the remaining days of the legislative session. The Hawaii Carpenters Union two weeks ago launched a campaign against Hawaiian Electric to convince customers and legislators that limiting the utility company's costs for future wildfires will further drive up the cost of living in a state that already has seen rates rise 90 % from 2009 to 2014 compared with just 31 % on the mainland for the same period, according to the carpenters. Capping Hawaiian Electric's liability on future wildfires would place the burden of additional liability on its customers, who are already struggling to keep up with the high cost of living in Hawaii, carpenters union spokesperson Andrew Pereira told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser. Even journeyman union carpenters who earn a solid paycheck of $115, 000 annually, Pereira said, rank at only 80 % of what's known as area median income, a measure of individual economic wealth in a community. The union described the original draft of HB 982 as a 'bailout ' for the utility company that would be ultimately paid for by customers. 'We're raising the alarm because no one else is, ' Ronald Taketa, executive secretary-treasurer of the Hawaii Regional Council of Carpenters, said in a statement. 'Hawaii's working families should not be forced to pay the price for HECO's negligence and corporate excess. This fight is about fairness, accountability, and standing up for the people.' Hawaiian Electric spokesperson Jim Kelly, however, said limiting liability costs for the company would follow the trends of other states that are also trying to manage the threat of wildfires that have grown more frequent and powerful. Putting a cap on Hawaiian Electric's wildfire liability, Kelly said, would help ensure a Hawaii-based utility company continues to provide service for island customers. 'No one is going to be in the utility business anymore if the potential of unlimited liability is still a risk, ' he said. While legislators debate how to proceed, HB 982 has little to do with the carpenters' real goal, according to Leroy Chincio, business manager and financial secretary for the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 1260, which has the exclusive labor agreement with Hawaiian Electric. The carpenters threatened to launch their publicity campaign against HB 982—and Hawaiian Electric—unless the company signed a 20-year project labor agreement exclusively with the carpenters union, cutting out the IBEW, Chincio said. He called the carpenters' campaign against limiting Hawaiian Electricity's financial liability 'blackmail.' 'They want an exclusive project labor agreement or else they would hold the bill as hostage, ' Chincio said. 'If the carpenters union got what they wanted, it would cut out all of the other unions, too. Wow. They want it all.' 'While we may not agree with everything Hawaiian Electric does, ' Chincio said, 'the health of the company affects our members, also. And this bill is best for ratepayers in the long run. It's good. They (Hawaii Carpenters Union ) wen' on one propaganda, making it about something else because they didn't get one PLA.' This session, as HB 982 moved through the Legislature, the Hawaii Carpenters Union, Hawaiian Electric and the IBEW agree that the carpenters leadership approached Hawaiian Electric with its proposal for a 20-year project labor agreement. Hawaiian Electric has no experience with so-called PLAs, uses IBEW for its unionized work and said it needed more time to consider the proposal while asking whether it was possible to limit a potential PLA to, say, five years, Kelly said. Taketa, instead, made it clear there was no room for negotiation, Kelly said. Taketa characterized the carpenters' proposal as a 'take-it-or-leave-it deal ' that would lead to a public campaign to generate public sentiment against HB 982—and Hawaiian Electric—if the company turned it down, Kelly said. Without a project labor agreement in place, and with HB 982 still alive, the carpenters then unveiled a website two weeks ago called According to the website, HB 982 would allow 'HECO to pass the financial fallout of wildfire damages onto ratepayers—even if HECO's own negligence contributed to the disaster. That means higher monthly bills for families already struggling with the cost of living.' The carpenters have staked out public, political positions of opposition in the past, notably challenging former Gov. Ben Cayetano during his 2012 campaign for Honolulu mayor in which Cayetano pledged to kill the city's rail project if elected. Cayetano lost to Kirk Caldwell, a rail supporter, and later filed a defamation suit against Pacific Resource Partnership, the carpenters union's political arm. In a settlement, PRP had to apologize for its negative campaign against Cayetano and donate $100, 000 to the University of Hawaii Medical School and $25, 000 to the Hawaiian Humane Society in Cayetano's name. In the 2018 race for lieutenant governor, the carpenters criticized former state Sen. Jill Tokuda in a race she lost to Josh Green, who later went on to become governor. Tokuda now serves in Congress representing rural Oahu and the neighbor islands. More recently, the carpenters backed former Honolulu Council Chair Ikaika Anderson in his 2022 race for lieutenant governor against state Rep. Sylvia Luke. Luke, who defeated Anderson, wanted to limit the state's financial support for a permanent tax for rail construction. But the carpenters' newest public campaign against Hawaiian Electric stands out, according to Colin Moore, who teaches public policy at the University of Hawaii and serves as associate professor at the University of Hawaii Economic Research Organization. This time, Moore said, the carpenters are not focusing on a single political candidate who questions rail, Hawaii's largest public works project, which carries the potential of work for generations of trade unions. And they're notably taking on Hawaiian Electric alone, without the support of other unions. 'It's extremely rare to see this, ' Moore said. But given the carpenters' history of political activism and willingness to challenge established and well-known political candidates, Moore said he isn't surprised. 'The carpenters play offense, and most unions in Hawaii play defense, ' he said. 'The carpenters play a more sophisticated game that requires the ability to poll and have the public relations talent to execute a PR strategy like this. The carpenters stand out.' The carpenters' campaign against Hawaiian Electric has angered its fellow trade unions, which offered a rare, public rebuke Thursday. The Hawaii Building and Construction Trades Council, AFL-CIO—composed of IBEW and other island labor unions—blasted the carpenters for what it called 'a smear campaign reeking of mainland politics and misinformation.' The Trades Council said the Hawaii Carpenters Union wants to 'secure an exclusive labor agreement with Hawaiian Electric Company that would exclude other construction trades unions from the work they perform.' Gino Soquena, executive director of the Hawaii Building and Construction Trades Council, AFL-CIO, said in the statement 'that the Carpenters are known for poaching other trade unions work, and this would allow them to do that.' Chincio, of the IBEW, told the Star-Advertiser that in all his years on jobs for Hawaiian Electric—which have involved tearing up concrete, digging holes for poles, wiring them for serv ice and pouring new concrete—'we've never had carpenters since the beginning of time, going back to Thomas Edison.' Pereira, of the Carpenters Union, could not immediately identify any work that union carpenters currently perform for Hawaiian Electric. Kelly, the utility's spokesperson, said, 'We don't build a lot of houses here at Hawaiian Electric.' 'We also don't have experience with project labor agreements, so we also didn't know what the potential impact would be of a 20-year exclusive project labor agreement with the carpenters, ' Kelly said. 'I don't know why this was an issue and they decided to attack the company and alienate some of their union colleagues.' To try and prevent a showdown between the carpenters and Hawaiian Electric, Chincio said, 'I told Ron (Taketa ), 'Everyone come talk story.' But he said, 'Nope. Not interested.' The carpenters' campaign against HB 982 shows the level of the union's sophistication and its willingness to fight for what it wants—even if it means alienating other labor unions, Moore said. 'Taking a technical, utility bill and transforming it into a kitchen table issue that typical ratepayers can understand (serves as ) a master class in a way to expand a contained, elite-level policy dispute into this broader public policy, ' Moore said. 'They've turned it into ratepayers vs. a monopoly utility.' The carpenters' pressure also 'puts the legislators in a difficult position because I suspect this is not popular, and it's difficult to communicate to residents why they have to pay even more for electricity to help a public utility that is not well liked, to put it mildly, ' Moore said. 'Technical legal bills are tough to debate in public, and now they will have to explain it to their constituents.' A compromise for legislators could include the possibility of deferring both SB 897 and HB 982, Moore said. Whatever happens, even following its apology and settlement with Cayetano, Moore doubts that Pacific Resource Partnership and the Hawaii Carpenters Union will change tactics or their reputation as a union willing go it alone. 'They're known for being aggressive and smart, ' Moore said. 'They're certainly among the most sophisticated political operatives in the state.' Cayetano used less charitable terms. 'These guys have no hesitation to say and do anything to accomplish their aims, ' he told the Star-Advertiser. 'The carpenters have been accused of trying to infringe on labor unions, electricians and everybody else.'
