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State, union pay
talks upheld
Public worker officials hail
By Richard Borreca
the state court ruling
Star-BulletinA court decision to allow public workers and the state to negotiate new pay raises has not changed the position of state House leaders -- which is bad news for public workers hoping for pay raises.
State Judge Virginia Crandall ruled yesterday that a law freezing state and union talks about a possible pay raise was illegal.
Public worker union leaders yesterday hailed it as a victory and the first important step toward a pay raise. "We are ecstatic. This is a big win for us," said Karen Ginoza, Hawaii State Teachers Association president.
"We are overjoyed," said Russell Okata, Hawaii Government Employees Association executive director.
The ruling is critical to HGEA because its 23,000 members are in negotiations with the state. The bargaining has reached an impasse and a panel of arbitrators has been picked. The arbitrators are expected to reach a decision on pay raises for the 23,000 workers by March.
Gov. Ben Cayetano said the state can't afford to increase the payroll and is threatening to cut programs and lay off workers if the arbitrators hand out raises.
Senate President Norman Mizuguchi yesterday suggested a compromise. He said if the unions asked the arbitrators to come up with a four-year contract, instead of the usual two-year pact, the pay could be given in the third and fourth year of the contract."I think we need peace among the unions.
Unions leaders, such as Okata, also mentioned that they would be willing to look at a four-year agreement.
But state House leaders, who must also approve any new contract proposal, rejected Mizuguchi's compromise.
Speaker of the House Calvin Say reasoned that if the pay raise was delayed until the third and fourth years of the contract, it would bind the next Legislature to pay raises and increased government expenses that it hadn't approved.
"If we approved the raises and then two years from now the economy didn't improve, what would the next Legislature be able to do?" he said.
If arbitrators come back with a pay raise, Cayetano is required by law to send it to the Legislature for approval, but the Legislature does not have to OK it.
Say is recommending that the House consider one of four options: Increase pay and accept that Cayetano will lay off people and cut programs to pay for it; raise taxes; explore some form of gambling; do nothing, neither approve nor reject the agreement.
"If you want a pay raise you won't be able to fund increases to the health fund or emergency appropriations or supplemental requests for new positions for new schools, so in a way it is good to go through this exercise because it makes everyone think," Say said.
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