Some Hawaiian Telcom unionized employees returned to work at 8 p.m. Friday after ending a two-day strike that the union hopes will persuade management to come back to the bargaining table.

"This is a profitable company," said Lisa Parran, spokeswoman for the negotiating committee and a business sales support employee with the company. "We just want to bargain with this profitable company."

She said about 700 members of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 1357 have been working without a contract since Oct. 24 and happened to strike during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit because of the time line in trying to get the company to meet with the bargaining committee.

She said the workers want to keep their current contract. They oppose the company’s sending jobs out of the country and its proposal to eliminate pensions, reduce sick leave and have employees pay 10 percent of their medical insurance premium. Members currently pay nothing for medical insurance and don’t know how much 10 percent would amount to because the company hasn’t told them, she said.

Hawaiian Telcom, the state’s largest telephone company with about 1,300 employees, said the strike had a small effect on customers as management, contract hires and nonunionized employees filled in. Customer service phone calls were briefly affected when the strike began Thursday morning, but the amount of time customers had to wait for a representative returned to normal after management settled in, said Scott Simon, a Hawaiian Telcom spokesman.

Some customer installations or repairs were postponed, but each affected customer was called and told the appointment will be rescheduled, he said.

"The company apologizes for any inconvenience experienced and thanks customers for their patience and understanding," he said.

In a statement the company said it was "extremely proud" of management and nonunion employees for covering during the strike. The statement said the company stands by its last, best and final offer, which will ensure employees receive competitive pay and favorable benefits, while providing customers with the best service, technology and value.

Outside the company’s Bishop Street headquarters Friday, hundreds of people, including supporters from Local 5 — the hotel and restaurant industries union — walked a picket line and held a rally against corporate greed.