Honolulu Local 1260 members, in partnership with employer Hawaiian Electric, are going above and beyond when it comes to supporting their communities.
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| Local 1260 members helped raise over $46,000 for the Hawaii Island United Way, part of a larger, state-wide effort that raised $372,000 in total. Pictured: Hawaiian Electric President and CEO Shelee Kimura, left, Local 1260 Business Manager and IEC member Leroy Chincio Jr., and Aloha United Way President and CEO John Fink.
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| Guided by the principles of “ohana,” meaning family, and “kuleana,” meaning responsibility and accountability, Local 1260 members can be seen painting schools, above, as well as assisting wildfire victims, providing meals to senior citizens and even sharing recipes for a cookbook that was part of a United Way fundraiser.
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"We believe in the guiding principles of 'ohana,' meaning family, and 'kuleana,' meaning responsibility and accountability," said Business Manager Leroy Chincio Jr., who also represents the Seventh District on the IBEW International Executive Council. "We feel that it is our family that we're helping."
In its most recent United Way campaign, which encompassed Oahu, Maui and the "Big Island" of Hawaii, the utility raised $372,000, including contributions from Local 1260 members and retirees. Approximately 1,200 members work for Hawaiian Electric, and 100% participated, said Assistant Business Manager Todd Mayeshiro. And the annual campaign, which this year had a theme of "pilina," meaning to come together, is just one way they embody that spirit.
"We do a lot with Hawaiian Electric," Mayeshiro said. "We're one of the biggest contributors to the United Way. But we also give back in a number of other ways, from food banks to emergency-preparedness fairs to blood drives."
According to Hawaiian Electric, employees across the state's five largest islands volunteered 5,307 hours over 101 community events, donated 913 units of blood and plasma, and collected $4,076 and 1,717 pounds of food for local food banks last year.
"We have a shared goal to support our employees and strengthen the communities in which they live and work," Hawaiian Electric Senior Communications Specialist Kristen Okinaka said. "We value our relationship with IBEW 1260 and are grateful for our partnership."
Another way Local 1260 members and retirees support their communities is through a cookbook of recipes from Hawaiian Electric employees. The most recent edition, named "Pilina," brought in over $24,000, Okinaka said.
"It's a popular item," Local 1260 Senior Assistant Business Manager Gayna Hashimoto said. "A lot of people give them as holiday gifts."
The longstanding collaboration between Local 1260 and Hawaiian Electric includes a commitment to the IBEW Code of Excellence, which calls on employers and employees to embrace a set of values including safety, accountability and professionalism in everything they do.
"Our combined contributions to the communities we live and work in are a great example of the Code and how we can work together to achieve even greater goals," Hashimoto said.
Those efforts have included helping victims of the wildfires that tore through Maui last year, killing more than 100 people and ravaging the historic town of Lahaina on the west coast and Kula farther inland. Employees held a golf tournament on Oahu that raised $73,500 for the Aloha United Way Maui Fire Relief Fund, Okinaka said. A local fund was created for affected IBEW members, and it raised $500,000.
Local 1260, which has jurisdiction that extends to Guam, has also given back to that island's community through partnering with the Red Cross on relief efforts for victims of Typhoon Mawar, which hit Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands in 2023. Members have also supported efforts to provide meals for senior citizens and participated in an adopt-a-bus beautification project.
"We like to do all that we can to support those in need," Chincio said. "It's not just our jurisdiction that spans the Pacific Ocean, it's our ohana, our family bonds, that reach beyond just our blood relations."