The Future of Union Work in Hawaii Is at Risk — Transparency Now!

Brothers and Sisters of IBEW Local 1186 – We Need Transparency Now on Contract Talks

Aloha, ohana. There are growing talks circulating among our signatory contractors and members that the current administration is not communicating effectively — or simply does not have an updated contract ready to show — when contractors ask about the status of new contract negotiations. This isn’t just a paperwork delay or a minor administrative hiccup. It’s a serious breakdown that directly threatens the livelihoods of every IBEW 1186 member across Oahu, Maui, Kauai, and Hawaii Island.

Let’s break this down clearly, from multiple angles, so we all understand exactly what’s at stake and why silence is not an option.

1. What’s Actually Happening?

Our Local has long maintained strong master agreements with roughly 120 signatory contractors who perform the vast majority of electrical work in Hawaii. These contracts set the wages, benefits, work rules, safety standards, and hiring hall procedures that keep our industry union-strong and our members paid fairly. Contractors rely on these agreements to accurately price and bid future jobs — everything from military base work and public infrastructure to private commercial and renewable energy projects.

When contractors reach out asking for updates on new contract talks or a draft to review, they’re reportedly being left in the dark. No timeline. No proposed terms. No clear path forward. That uncertainty freezes decision-making on their end.

2. How This Directly Hurts IBEW 1186 Members

Without a known contract in hand, signatory contractors cannot reliably bid on upcoming work. Here’s the chain reaction:

• Lost bids and lost jobs: General contractors and owners need firm labor cost numbers months (sometimes years) in advance to submit competitive bids. If our contractors don’t know what the new rates, fringes, or overtime rules will be, they either bid blind (risking financial ruin) or sit it out entirely. Non-union or out-of-state shops step in and take the work.

• Snowball effect on the hall and your paycheck: Fewer union jobs mean thinner out-of-work lists turn into longer ones. Book 1 and Book 2 calls slow down. Hours drop. Families feel it immediately — rent, groceries, car payments, and college funds in one of the most expensive states in the nation. Our health and pension contributions shrink right along with the hours, weakening the very benefits we fought for.

• Apprentices and future members suffer too: Reduced work means fewer apprenticeship slots get filled. Training funds take a hit. The pipeline of skilled IBEW electricians that Hawaii depends on starts to dry up.

• Edge cases that make it worse: On public projects with prevailing wage requirements or project labor agreements (PLAs), the absence of a current contract can disqualify signatory contractors from even being considered. Private developers looking for stability will simply go non-union to avoid the uncertainty. We’ve seen this pattern in other trades and other markets — once market share slips, it’s brutally hard to claw back.
  

This isn’t theoretical. Construction bids are planned far ahead. A few months of radio silence from the administration can translate into years of lost opportunities for our members.

3. Why Are Contractors Being Left in the Dark?

Contractors aren’t the enemy — they’re our partners in keeping union work union. They sign our agreements, pay our rates, and hire from our hall because it makes business sense for them too (quality, safety, reliability, no strikes). When they ask for basic information about the next contract and get nothing, it erodes trust.

Possible reasons floating around: internal delays, strategic positioning, workload on the negotiation team, or simply poor communication protocols. But here’s the bottom line — none of those excuses justify leaving our signatory partners guessing. In an industry built on relationships and long-term planning, opacity is poison.

4. How Does This Benefit Anyone? (Spoiler: It Doesn’t)

• It doesn’t benefit members — we lose hours and security.

• It doesn’t benefit contractors — they lose bids and revenue.

• It doesn’t benefit the administration — credibility and member confidence erode.

• It doesn’t benefit Hawaii — projects slow down, costs rise (non-union work often brings lower safety standards and higher long-term public expense), and good family-wage jobs disappear.
  

In fact, the only people who win when union contractors are sidelined are the open-shop operators who undercut our standards. That weakens all of labor in the islands.

5. Related Considerations and Long-Term Implications

Hawaii’s construction market is unique — high costs, strict licensing, geographic isolation, and heavy reliance on union labor for quality infrastructure. Our Local has a proud history of industry-wide master agreements dating back decades. That strength came from clear, timely communication between the union and contractors.

If this pattern continues, we risk:

• Contractors quietly exploring non-union options or dual-shop arrangements.

• General contractors pressuring owners to drop union requirements.

• Erosion of our market dominance (we currently do ~75% of the electrical work statewide).

• Damage to the relationship with the Electrical Contractors Association of Hawaii (ECAH) and other partners.
  

We’ve overcome tougher challenges before — strikes, recessions, natural disasters. But internal communication breakdowns are preventable.

Brothers and sisters, this is our union. We elect leadership to represent us and protect our work. Demand transparency. Ask your stewards, your business reps, and your executive board: When will contractors see the next contract proposal? What’s the timeline? How are we keeping our partners informed so they can keep bidding and keep our members working?

Solidarity isn’t just picket signs and unity slogans — it’s making sure the machine that feeds our families runs smoothly. Clear communication protects the hall, protects our wages and benefits, and protects the future of IBEW 1186 in Hawaii.

Let’s fix this before the snowball gets any bigger. Talk to each other. Ask the hard questions. Stay informed, stay united, and stay strong.

In solidarity,

TEAM MEMBERS FIRST