Democrats urge raises
for teachersSeveral senators say that salary
hikes must be granted soon for
legislative funding
The Senate Democratic Caucus called on the Lingle administration yesterday to give teachers pay raises comparable to those of other public workers and to do it soon so legislators can fund them.
"Our state needs to send a strong message that teachers are important and that we are willing to pay them appropriately," said Sen. Gary Hooser, (D, Kauai-Niihau), vice chairman of the Education Committee.
The Hawaii State Teachers Association and the state resume contract negotiations Monday with the help of a mediator. The latest offer from the state is for a 4.1 percent raise this fall, following a wage freeze in the current school year, while the union is seeking a total of 10 percent over the two years ending June 2005.
Senate President Robert Bunda and a dozen other Democrats held a news conference yesterday to underscore what they called the urgency of the situation, noting that Friday is a key deadline for fiscal bills at the Legislature.
"We want a quick settlement and a fair settlement," Bunda said. "The session is almost over."
But Ted Hong, the state's chief negotiator, said he is well aware of the deadline and scheduled bargaining sessions three days in a row next week in hopes of reaching agreement in time.
"I'm very puzzled by the Senate's need to hold a press conference on this issue," he said. "It smacks of politics. The Legislature is an impediment and a detriment to our negotiations because they're pandering and they're politicking."
If the raises are not funded by the Legislature this session, teachers would not receive the money until next year.
Hooser said teachers should receive at least as much as the raises awarded to members of the Hawaii Government Employees Association through arbitration, which totaled about 8 percent over two years, including seniority increases. Ways and Means Chairman Brian Taniguchi (D, Moiliili-Manoa) said the state's six-year fiscal plan could handle such a settlement for the teachers.
"We believe there is enough room in there to cover at a minimum what the HGEA got through arbitration," Taniguchi said.
But Gov. Linda Lingle has said she does not think the state can afford to pay that much to HGEA. Hong said any contract must be sustainable over the long term, and the state faces a balloon payment on a debt in fiscal year 2006 that limits its ability to fund raises.
"The Legislature keeps telling us we can pay this amount of money, but they don't tell us where they're going to get the money from," Hong said. "In my opinion they're giving the HSTA rank and file false hope."
HSTA President Roger Takabayashi said he was grateful for the senators' support. Entry-level teachers start at $34,295 a year, he said, not enough to recruit sufficient staff, and teachers with seniority need annual increases to keep them from leaving the profession.