Hawai‘i Gas Co. workers continue to strike along Hana Highway in front of their Maui office in Kahului after the Hawaii Teamsters and Allied Workers, Local 996 union and the company did not come to an agreement during recent negotiations. The Maui News / MELISSA TANJI photo

Maui businesses and local residents who rely on gasoline utilities are starting to feel the impacts as Hawai’i Gas Co. workers continue to strike across the state.

At the beginning of the month, 23 members of the Hawaii Teamsters and Allied Workers, Local 996 in Maui County walked off the job along with co-workers across the state, citing concerns over wages, medical benefits and the company’s bargaining and labor practices.

The union collectively represents 217 Hawai’i Gas employees statewide.

As the union and company work to reach an agreement, folks in the community who rely on propane are slowly feeling the pressure, too. HPM Building Supply announced Saturday via Instagram that the company is out of propane for its Maui customers due to the ongoing negotiations.

“All of our Maui locations in Kihei, Lahaina, Makawao and Wailuku are out of propane,” HPM said in the post. “Due to the Hawaii Gas strike, we are unsure when we will have propane supply again. We apologize for any inconvenience. We will keep you informed when the situation changes. All Maui locations remain open and fully operational other than propane being out of stock.”

Serpico’s Pizzeria Maui in Pukalani had to close midway through service after running out of gas on Wednesday. The restaurant said in a Facebook post that it would be closed until Hawai’i Gas can fill up its tanks.

“Sadly they are on strike and we do not know when they will resume service,” the restaurant said on Facebook. “We are very sorry this is happening and look forward to seeing you all (hopefully) very soon!”

Serpico’s reopened on Friday for dinner and eventually resumed normal operating hours the following day.

Kevin Holu, president of the Hawaii Teamsters & Allied Workers, Local 996, said in a statement on Saturday that the strike will continue since agreements on wage increases were not settled with Hawai’i Gas management. More negotiations are scheduled for June 19.

“The Union feels that it is time to inform the public of the ongoing attempts by the Union and to be transparent of all the tactics of the employer,” Holu said in a statement. “On many occasions the employer was warned of the possible effects to the community if the strike continues, however, the employer laughed at us and stated, ‘are your members ready for this” Shame on them!”

The union claimed earlier this month that management from Hawai’i Gas has refused to negotiate in good faith bargaining regarding changes in medical benefits, retirement benefits and living wages.

This has left small crowds of Hawai’i Gas workers to line Hana Highway in Kahului on strike. They have been seen all last week waving signage and encouraging drivers to honk and wave in support.

In the meantime, certain services may be temporarily disrupted, including non-utility propane deliveries, propane resale customers, new installations, in-person bill payments at Hawai’i Gas offices and other non-emergency appliance repairs and adjustments, according to the company’s website.

Hawai’i Gas said Saturday in a statement that “we have made the necessary arrangements to continue operating and servicing our customers.”

The company has brought in temporary resources, such as temporary hires, to support staff with operational tasks, including deliveries, clerical work and customer service. These temporary resources will not permanently replace any local jobs but will ensure service delivery, the company said.

“Although we are currently operating the company with a reduced workforce and we appreciate our customers’ and community’s understanding while we get through these challenging times, we hope that an expedited return to the table before June 19 can minimize this impact,” Hawai’i Gas said in the statement. “We respect the union’s right to picket, but we also have a responsibility to our customers and any actions used by the union to purposely interrupt our operations negatively impacts our ability to serve customers.”

The union said it will “continue to work diligently to bring this issue to an end.”

“We remain ready and optimistic about getting our striking members back to work so they can continue serving the people of Hawaii who we call Ohana,” Holu said in the statement.

* Dakota Grossman can be reached at dgrossman@mauinews.com.