Promises on
the campaign trail

Both Cayetano and Lingle
try to speak the language
of the unions

By Richard Borreca
Star-Bulletin

PUBLIC employee unions have made preserving jobs their No. 1 goal as state and county finances have declined since 1991. They likely have nothing to worry about no matter who is elected governor this year.

Gov. Ben Cayetano and GOP challenger Linda Lingle talk about streamlining government to make it more efficient and less expensive, but neither says they would do it by laying off public employees.

Cayetano, who while dealing with the state's budget crisis in 1995 cut several hundred positions and laid off more than 100 state workers, says that further state budget cuts can be done without layoffs.

Republican challenger Linda Lingle, who hopes to pick up votes from public employees despite their unions' endorsement of Cayetano, has not hummed the usual Republican mantra for a smaller government work force. She boasts that she actually increased the Maui County work force during her eight years as mayor.

Star-Bulletin file photos
Gov. Ben Cayetano, above, and Linda Lingle, below,
have spoken during their campaigns about streamlining
government without laying off workers.

Both Cayetano and Lingle pledge to honor the $40 million in pay raises negotiated but never paid last year to public workers.

"As governor, I am committed to honor the raises we negotiated," Cayetano said in an open letter to public employees. "I want to assure our HGEA members that I pledge to again seek funding for your contracts during the 1999 legislative session."

Lingle also promised to fund the pay raises, but she did add one escape clause -- that she wasn't sure if the state actually had the money to pay for the raises.

"I think when the governor made this agreement, he should have had to show where the money is going to come from," Lingle said.

For the unions, total membership is the first concern. When Honolulu Mayor Jeremy Harris attempted to restructure city government and lay off employees, the Hawaii Government Employees Association launched a massive campaign to halt the job action.

Cayetano, who at the begining of the year worried about another round of job layoffs, now says the economy has improved enough to forestall further job losses.

Lingle says much the same, but adds that if elected governor, she would not want to see state government grow.

"The union leadership has not been concerned with their existing members, but focused on the need to expand and add more members," she said. "I believe the people of Hawaii can't afford more public employees."

Lingle is promising to reverse Cayetano's payroll lag -- unpopular among state employees -- even though HGEA isn't protesting it.

Cayetano started a system of delaying pay dates so the state could save an estimated $50 million. The University of Hawaii Professional Assembly, the only labor union to endorse Lingle, fought the lag and won in federal court. But the HGEA decided not to contest it, saying it was better than forcing Cayetano to lay off workers.

Lingle, however, argues that the state is failing to promptly pay its workers. "It doesn't make sense to be talking about wage increases when you aren't even paying your current wages on time."

Cayetano says he hasn't been a popular governor with the unions, despite his union endorsements.

"My administration has had a record number of grievances filed," he said. "But I'm not going to back down when I have to represent the entire state."

Cayetano has fought with the HGEA and United Public Workers over transferring state workers to a new office building in Kapolei and reducing overtime for prison guards.