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Though disappointed,
Cayetano will sign
civil service reform

Governor says he'll press
the legislators next year
for more changes

By Richard Borreca
Star-Bulletin

Gov. Ben Cayetano will sign the civil service reform bill, although he said it is not the dramatic measure he had urged the Legislature to adopt.

In an informal meeting with reporters yesterday at the state Capitol, sponsored by the Hawaii chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists, Cayetano said further work on the civil service and public employment structure in Hawaii is "absolutely necessary."

So, he said, the state administration will continue to press for more reforms next year.

"When you look at the competition in the world, this is something we have to continue," he said.

The bill, however, was praised by both union leaders and lawmakers.

Yesterday, Russell Okata, executive director of the Hawaii Government Employees Association, said the bill Cayetano will sign does give the governor many of the reform measures he wanted.

"He wanted more flexibility in recruitment, more flexibility in management, he has that," Okata said.

At the same time, the proposal will require the state and county managers to be more active in monitoring the hiring and managing of workers, because much of the civil service law has been left up to the state.

"All of the employer's proposals passed; the issues that didn't pass are negotiable items," Okata said.

Sen. Bob Nakata, chairman of the Senate Labor and Environment Committee, said many of the items that Cayetano wanted written into the state law should be bargained by management and labor.

For instance, Nakata said, the changes that Cayetano wanted for state vacation and sick leave policy, and for overtime and holiday pay, are all matters that must be negotiated.

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