05-27-2013, 03:46 PM
It's a class action lawsuit, not a petition. These class action lawsuits are like chain letters, they make a lot of money for the lawyers and their firms, the "class" may get pennies. These class action types of lawsuits are starting to fall into the pattern of patent trolls, companies that buy up patents to file lawsuits.
There have been bills submitted to the Hawaii legislature a few times with the same general case for the state to take over Hawaiian Electric. These bills never make it very far but if one did, it would probably mean the state would have to buy out HE for market value, about $3 billion right now. Then the PUC would have to replace all the HE employees with state employees meaning at least a new division and more like a new department. So, instead of a private corporation like HE taking care of all employee benefits and expenses, like vacations, maternity leave, sick leave, health insurance policy, liability, and retirement funds, the state takes that over also. Hundreds of more state employees, probably costing more than the profits from the sale of electricity to tax paying citizen customers.
"This island Hawaii on this island Earth"
There have been bills submitted to the Hawaii legislature a few times with the same general case for the state to take over Hawaiian Electric. These bills never make it very far but if one did, it would probably mean the state would have to buy out HE for market value, about $3 billion right now. Then the PUC would have to replace all the HE employees with state employees meaning at least a new division and more like a new department. So, instead of a private corporation like HE taking care of all employee benefits and expenses, like vacations, maternity leave, sick leave, health insurance policy, liability, and retirement funds, the state takes that over also. Hundreds of more state employees, probably costing more than the profits from the sale of electricity to tax paying citizen customers.
"This island Hawaii on this island Earth"
*Japanese tourist on bus through Pahoa, "Is this still America?*